Merge pull request 'June_2023#2' (#1221) from June_2023#2 into master

Reviewed-on: #1221

.gitignore

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 .DS_Store
+/results.txt

00-ULB_front&back/ULB-10-License.md

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+### Unlocked Literal Bible (ULB) in English 
+
+©2017 Wycliffe Associates. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ 
+
+ 
+
+The ULB in English is based on the unfoldingWord Literal Text, CC BY-SA 4.0. The original work of the unfoldingWord Literal Text is available at https://unfoldingword.bible/ult/.  
+
+#### Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) 
+
+This is a human-readable summary of (and not a substitute for) the license. 
+
+#### You are free to: 
+
+* **Share**— copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. 
+* **Adapt**— remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. 
+
+The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. 
+
+#### Under the following conditions: 
+
+* **Attribution**— You must attribute the work as follows: “Original work available at https://BibleInEveryLanguage.org/translations.” Attribution statements in derivative works should not in any way suggest that we endorse you or your use of this work. 
+* **ShareAlike**— If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. 
+* **No additional restrictions**— You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. 
+
+#### Notices: 
+
+You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation. 
+
+No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material. 

00-ULB_front&back/ULB-11-Intro.md

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The Unlocked Literal Bible (ULB)  is a relatively literal translation of the  Bi
 
 The ULB and other resources are being translated from English into the world's Gateway Languages so that translators worldwide can use them as a set of resources for making accurate translations of God's Word in their own languages.
 
-**You can learn more about the ULB** in the Appendix to the ULB [[rc://en_ulb/00-About_the_ULB/ULB-3-Appendix.md]]. It has the following sections: 
+**You can learn more about the ULB** in the Appendix to the ULB [[rc://en_ulb/00-ULB_front&back/ULB-20-Appendix.md]]. It has the following sections: 
 * Origin and Purpose of the ULB
 * Notes about Making a "Relatively Literal" Translation
 * Characteristics of the ULB
@@ -27,16 +27,16 @@ The Unlocked Literal Bible is also integrated into BTT Writer and VMAST so that
 We welcome questions, comments, and suggestions. You may send them to helpdesk@techadvancement.com or training_wa@wycliffeassociates.org.
 
 ## Contributors to the ULB
-  - James N. Pohlig, M.Div., MA in Linguistics, D. Litt. in Biblical Languages
-  - W. Thomas Warren, BA (Bible), M.Div., D.Min
+  - James N. Pohlig, M.Div.; M.A. in Linguistics; D. Litt. in Biblical Languages
+  - W. Thomas Warren, B.A. in Bible; M.Div.; D.Min
   - Larry Sallee, D.Min.
   - C. Harry Harriss, M.Div.
-  - Hendrik "Henry" de Vries
-  - Henry Whitney, BA, Education, Translator, Summer Institute of Linguistics 1982-2001
-  - John Hutchins, BA, Bible and Theology, MA, New Testament, MA, Biblical languages
-  - Perry Oakes, PhD in Old Testament, MA in Linguistics
-  - Robert W. Johnson, B.S./M.S., Chemical Engineering
-  - Susan R. Quigley, MA in Linguistics
+  - Hendrik "Henry" de Vries, M.Div.; Th.M.
+  - Henry Whitney, B.A. in Education; Translator with Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1982-2001
+  - John Hutchins, B.A.in Bible and Theology; M.A. in New Testament; M.A. in Biblical languages
+  - Perry Oakes, MA in Linguistics; Ph.D in Old Testament 
+  - Robert W. Johnson, B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering
+  - Susan R. Quigley, M.A. in Linguistics
   - Forest Deal
   - Door43 World Missions Community
   - Wycliffe Associates Staff

00-ULB_front&back/ULB-20-Appendix.md

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 # Appendix to the Unlocked Literal Bible
 
-## Origin and Purpose of the ULB
+## Origin and Purpose of the English ULB
 
-The Unlocked Literal Bible (ULB) is an open-licensed version of the Bible derived from The American Standard Version, and updated using the most reliable Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek copies of the Biblical texts available. It is intended to accurately reflect the meanings of those texts and to be used as a source text for Bible translators to translate the Bible into their own language.
+The English Unlocked Literal Bible (ULB) is an open-licensed version of the Bible derived from The American Standard Version, and updated using the most reliable Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek copies of the Biblical texts available. It is intended to accurately reflect the meanings of those texts and to be used as a source text for Bible translators to translate the Bible into their own language.
 
 Some might call the ULB "relatively literal" because it retains many of the grammatical structures, idioms, figures of speech, and semantically complex vocabulary used in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek source documents. But when those grammatical structures, idioms, or figures of speech would be unintelligible or seriously misunderstood in English, the ULB minimally adjusts the grammatical structures and wording in order to express the same meanings in ways that are more clear in English.
 
-The ULB is not meant to be a refined, polished English version. It is meant to present the meaning and structure of the original texts in so far as that can be done clearly and simply, so that it can, in turn, be translated into other languages.
+The ULB is not meant to be a refined, polished English version. It is meant to present the meaning and structure of the original texts in so far as that can be done clearly and simply so that it can, in turn, be translated into other languages.
 
 The ULB is intended to be used with other resources that help to clarify the meanings of words and phrases in the ULB or original languages. These resources also give suggestions about ways of expressing the meaning that translators might be able to use in their languages. These resources are Translation Words, Translation Notes, Translation Manual, Translation Questions, and the Unlocked Dynamic Bible (UDB).
 
@@ -18,30 +18,33 @@ The ULB is intended to be used with other resources that help to clarify the mea
       *  to test their community's understanding of their translation to see if it is accurate and clear.
   * **The UDB** shows alternate ways of expressing the meaning in a more natural way. It also replaces many of the figures of speech in the ULB with plain language, and it makes some implicit information explicit.
 
+## The Greek Text for the ULB
+The ULB was originally based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901, which is in the public domain. But it had to come to terms with various advances in the field of textual criticism. The ASV's Greek New Testament source is the Westcott-Hort critical text. Since then many New Testament texts and fragments have been discovered and the critical text of the New Testament has been updated many times. The two dominant Greek texts are identical, with the exception of punctuation and capitalization. These are the Nestle-Aland 28th edition (NA28) and the United Bible Society 5th edition (UBS5).
+
+Because these modern critical texts are copywritten, it was decided to take an eclectic approach to the Greek source text for the English ULB. However, it was later decided that a specific Greek text was needed to create Greek resources, such as the Greek lexicon. So the ULB was updated with an open license Greek New Testament as its source text. This is the Open Greek New Testament (OGNT). 
+
 ## Notes About Making a "Relatively Literal" Translation
   * It is not possible to maintain a one-for-one correspondence between words in translation. One word from the source language may require a phrase for its translation in the target language, and vice-versa.
-  * It is not possible to translate every word the same way every time it occurs and still have the correct meaning. So the ULB seeks to translate words with the meaning that they have in their context, using whatever English word or phrase is closest to that meaning.
-  * Both Greek and Hebrew can make a sentence without using a verb, while English cannot. For the ULB to make sense, the verb will always be supplied. (Usually the verb is "is").
-  * Greek makes abundant use of participial clauses. For the English of the ULB to make sense, often these must be changed to relative clauses or adverbial clauses.
-  * In the ULB, the grammatical structures of the original languages are retained unless the English would be ungrammatical or easily misunderstood.
+  * It is not possible to translate every word the same way every time it occurs and still have the correct meaning. Words need to be translated with the meaning that they have in their context, using whatever English word or phrase is closest to that meaning.
+  * Both Greek and Hebrew can make a sentence without using a verb, while English cannot. For it to make sense in English, a verb needs to be supplied. (Usually the verb is "is").
+  * Sometimes the grammatical structures of the original languages would be ungrammatical or easily misunderstood if used in English. In those cases other grammatical structures need to be used.
+  * Greek makes abundant use of participial clauses. For the English to make sense, often these need to be changed to relative clauses or adverbial clauses.
 
-## Characteristics of the ULB
-The ULB seeks to represent the language forms of the original in a way that also makes sense in English and other Gateway Languages.
-  * The ULB tends to reflect the grammatical structures of the biblical languages.
-  * The ULB tends to reflectthe parts of speech of the biblical languages. For example, it seeks to use nouns where the original language uses nouns, adjectives where the original language uses adjectives, and so forth.
-  * The ULB tneds to reflect the semantically complex vocabulary of the original languages.
-  * The ULB seeks to reproduce the form of the logical connections in the biblical languages. Thus, for example, the ULB has "the righteousness of faith" in Romans 4:13, and the logical relationship between righteousness and faith is not further specified. (Is it the righteousness that comes by faith? Is it the righteousness that vindicates faith?) All that "the righteousness of faith" explicitly signals is that there is some close association in the text between righteousness and faith, and that we can probably rule out a number of conceivable logical relationships between the two concepts, but not all possible relationships, as the foregoing example illustrates.
-  * The ULB usually reproduces the linear succession of ideas found in the original, even when English may prefer a different arrangement of the same ideas.
-  * The ULB does  not normally present information that is only implied in the original. For example, in Matthew 26:5, "For they were saying, 'Not during the festival, so that a riot does not arise among the people.'" The implied information is, "Let us not arrest Jesus [during the festival]." The ULB does not overtly represent this implied information.
-  * The ULB reflects as much as reasonably possible the written style of the original. It has, for example, "Paul ... to Timothy..." instead of English's preferred, "Dear Timothy, this is Paul."
-  * The ULB departs from closely representing the structures of the original only when it must do so for the sake of clarity in English.
-  * Even when the ULB is ambiguous or not entirely clear (as is often true of the original), the ULB must never promote to the translator the wrong meaning.
+## Characteristics of the Form of the English ULB
+The English ULB translates the meaning of the original texts while seeking to use the language forms of those texts. The following statements describe what the English ULB tends to do as a relatively literal translation.
+  * The ULB often reflects the grammatical structures that were used in the original language texts.
+  * The ULB usually reflects the parts of speech that were used in the original language texts. For example, when the original text has an abstract noun, the ULB usually expresses the same idea with an abstract noun rather than with a verb or adjective.
+  * The ULB translates many of the Hebrew and Greek technical terms related to religion and law with corresponding technical terms in English. Some examples are transgression, iniquity, redemption, gospel, and grace.
+  * The ULB places clauses in the order that the original language texts placed them.
+  * The ULB usually leaves implied what was left implied in the original language texts. If leaving the information implied will likely lead to confusion, the ULB makes the information explicit.
+  * When expressions in the original language texts are ambiguous or unclear, the ULB often keeps the ambiguity or lack of clarity, instead of choosing a particular meaning.
+  * The ULB sometimes uses names instead of pronouns, particularly at the beginning of chapters.
 
 ## Decisions Concerning the ULB
 The following are decisions that have been made concerning the ULB. This is not a comprehensive list, but it is here to help those who might wonder why the ULB is as it is.
 
 ### ULB Style
-The following are details concerning the use of punctuation, capitalization, and vocabulary  in the ULB.
+The following are details concerning the use of punctuation, capitalization, and vocabulary in the ULB.
 
   * Titles are capitalized. (Son of Man, King David, the Messiah).
   * All pronouns, even those referring to God, are lower case (except when beginning sentences and except for the first singular "I").
@@ -62,7 +65,8 @@ The ULB has footnotes for the following kinds of issues:
 The footnotes use the following words in refering to copies and translations:  
 * "Copies" refers to extant copies of the Biblical text, written in the original language, or to copies of the Septuagint or Vulgate.
 * "Text" or "original text" refers to the Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic text compiled from all sources (that is, from all extant copies).
-* "Translation" refers to ancient translations (the Septuagint and the Vulgate) and to modern translations.
+* "Translation" refers to ancient translations (the Septuagint and the Vulgate) and to modern translations.  
+
 The ULB does not have footnotes for every textual issue, but it does address those that readers are most likely to encounter, particularly readers who have access to translations that were based on manuscripts known before the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.
 
 ## Contributors to the ULB

01-About_the_ULB_for_Editors/ULB-Decisions.for.ULB.Editors.md

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The following are details concerning the use of punctuation, capitalization, and
   * Spelling of names, in most cases, follows that used in the 2011 NIV. (This includes translating Ἑβραϊστί as "Aramaic (language)."
   * Where possible, the ULB editors have used common vocabulary that is easy to translate into another language.
   * Numbers are written as words if they have only one or two words ("three hundred," "thirty-five thousand"). Otherwise they are written as numerals. ("205," "1,005")
-  * The possessive form of names is written with 's even if the name ends in the letter s (Cyrus's days, Phinehas's son, Ahasuerus's reign), and even if the letter s sounds like z (Jesus's name, Moses's hand).
+  * The possessive form of names ending in "s" is written as it is in the 2011 NIV (Jesus' name, Moses' hand, days of Cyrus).
 ## Translation Glossaries
 A list of decisions as to how to translate some senses of the source language words and phrases into another language is called a translation glossary. Such a device is especially useful when more than one person works on the same project, because it helps keep everyone using the same English terms.
 However, the sources often use some words to signal more than one sense, depending on context. A translation glossary is therefore a glossary of word senses, not a glossary of words. Check back often to this page, because these glossaries are likely to develop for the entire life of WA's translation resources project.
@@ -57,16 +57,16 @@ This list concerns Greek words in the New Testament.
   * *elpis*: "**hope**" as a noun
   * *elpizo*: "**hope**" as a verb or "set hope"
 ## Footnotes in the ULB
-The ULB has footnotes for the following kinds of issues: 
-* names that have multiple spellings
-* people and places that have multiple names
-* differences in Hebrew and Greek copies that lead to differences in modern versions
-* alternative renderings of verses that are very hard to understand in the original languages
-* differences between copies of the texts in the original languages and the early Greek and Latin translations
-The notes use the following words in refering to copies and translations:  
-* "Copies" refers to extant copies of the Biblical text, written in the original language, or to copies of the Septuagint or Vulgate.
-* "Text" or "original text" refers to the Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic text compiled from all sources (that is, from all extant copies).
-* "Translation" refers to ancient translations (the Septuagint and the Vulgate) and to modern translations.
-* We do not use the words "manuscripts" and "versions" in the footnotes.
-The ULB does not have footnotes for every textual issue, but it does address those that readers are most likely to encounter, particularly readers who have access to translations that were based on manuscripts known before the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.
+* The ULB has footnotes for the following kinds of issues: 
+  * names that have multiple spellings
+  * people and places that have multiple names
+  * differences in Hebrew and Greek copies that lead to differences in modern versions
+  * alternative renderings of verses that are very hard to understand in the original languages
+  * differences between copies of the texts in the original languages and the early Greek and Latin translations  
+* The notes use the following words in refering to copies and translations:    
+  * "Copies" refers to extant copies of the Biblical text, written in the original language, or to copies of the Septuagint or Vulgate.
+  * "Text" or "original text" refers to the Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic text compiled from all sources (that is, from all extant copies).
+  * "Translation" refers to ancient translations (the Septuagint and the Vulgate) and to modern translations.
+  * We do not use the words "manuscripts" and "versions" in the footnotes.
+* The ULB does not have footnotes for every textual issue, but it does address those that readers are most likely to encounter, particularly readers who have access to translations that were based on manuscripts known before the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls.
 

01-GEN.usfm

@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@
 \p
 \v 3 God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
 \v 4 God saw the light, that it was good. He divided the light from the darkness.
-\v 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." This was evening and morning, the first day.
+\v 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
 \v 7 God made the expanse and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. It was so.
-\v 8 God called the expanse "sky." This was evening and morning, the second day.
+\v 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 \p
 \v 11 God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit whose seed is in the fruit, each according to its own kind." It was so.
 \v 12 The earth produced vegetation, plants producing seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit whose seed was in it, after their kind. God saw that it was good.
-\v 13 This was evening and morning, the third day.
+\v 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 \v 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
 \v 17 God set them in the sky to give light upon the earth,
 \v 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
-\v 19 This was evening and morning, the fourth day.
+\v 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -53,16 +53,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas. Let birds multiply on the earth."
-\v 23 This was evening and morning, the fifth day.
+\v 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures, each according to its own kind, livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each according to its own kind." It was so.
-\v 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, the livestock after their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind. He saw that it was good.
+\v 24 God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures, each according to its own kind, livestock, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its own kind." It was so.
+\v 25 God made the wild animals after their kind, the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind. He saw that it was good.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." \f + \ft Some ancient copies have: \fqa ... Over the livestock, over all the animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth \fqa* . \f*
+\v 26 God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." \f + \ft Some ancient copies have: \fqa ... over the livestock, over all the animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. \fqa* \f*
 \p
 \v 27 God created man in his own image. In his own image he created him. Male and female he created them.
 
@@ -75,8 +75,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 30 To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, and to every creature that has the breath of life I have given every green plant for food." It was so.
 \p
-\v 31 God saw everything that he had made. Behold, it was very good. This was evening and morning, the sixth day.
-\v 31 God saw everything that he had made. Behold, it was very good. This was evening and morning, the sixth day.
+\v 31 God saw everything that he had made. Behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@
 \v 1 Then the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the living things that filled them.
 \p
 \v 2 On the seventh day God came to the end of his work which he had done, and so he rested on the seventh day from all his work.
-\v 3 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he rested from all his work which he had done in his creation.
+\v 3 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had created and made.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -112,7 +111,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 Yahweh God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to maintain it.
 \v 16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "From every tree in the garden you may freely eat.
-\v 17 But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die."
+\v 17 But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -124,11 +123,13 @@
 \v 21 Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, so the man slept. Yahweh God took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh where he took the rib.
 \v 22 With the rib that Yahweh God had taken from the man, he made a woman and brought her to the man.
 \v 23 The man said,
-\q "This time, this one is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.
-\q She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of man."
-\m
+\q1 "This time, this one is bone of my bones, 
+\q2 and flesh of my flesh.
+\q1 She will be called 'woman,' 
+\q2 because she was taken out of man."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
 \v 25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, but were not ashamed.
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Now the serpent was more shrewd than any other beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You must not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
 \v 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden,
-\v 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You may not eat it, nor may you touch it, or you will die.'"
+\v 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
 
 \s5
 \v 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die.
@@ -158,47 +159,50 @@
 \s5
 \v 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
 \v 13 Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
-\m
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Yahweh God said to the serpent,
-\q "Because you have done this,
-\q cursed are you alone among all the livestock
-\q and all the beasts of the field.
-\q It is on your stomach that you will go,
-\q and it is dust that you will eat all the days of your life.
-\q
+\p
+\v 14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
+\q1 cursed are you alone among all the livestock
+\q2 and all the beasts of the field.
+\q1 It is on your stomach that you will go,
+\q2 and it is dust that you will eat
+\q2 all the days of your life.
+\q1 
 \v 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,
-\q and between your seed and her seed.
-\q He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
-\m
+\q2 and between your seed and her seed.
+\q1 He will bruise your head, 
+\q2 and you will bruise his heel."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 16 To the woman he said,
-\q "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth;
-\q it is in pain that you will give birth to children.
-\q Your desire will be for your husband, but he will rule over you."
-\m
+\q1 "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth;
+\q2 it is in pain that you will give birth to children.
+\q1 Your desire will be for your husband, 
+\q2 but he will rule over you."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
-\v 17 To Adam he said,
-\q "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
-\q and have eaten from the tree, concerning which I commanded you,
-\q saying, 'You may not eat from it,'
-\q cursed is the ground because of you;
-\q through painful work you will eat from it all the days of your life.
-\q
+\v 17 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree, concerning which I commanded you, saying, 'You may not eat from it,'
+\q1 Cursed is the ground because of you;
+\q2 through painful work you will eat from it
+\q2 all the days of your life.
+\q1
 \v 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
-\q and you will eat the plants of the field.
-\q
-\v 19 By the sweat of your face you will eat bread,
-\q until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.
-\q For dust you are, and to dust you will return."
-\m
+\q2 and you will eat the plants of the field.
+\q1
+\v 19 By the sweat of your face
+\q2 you will eat bread,
+\q1 until you return to the ground,
+\q2 for out of it you were taken.
+\q1 For dust you are, 
+\q2 and to dust you will return."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 20 The man called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all the living.
 \v 21 Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
@@ -225,7 +229,7 @@
 \v 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin crouches at the door and desires to control you, but you must rule over it."
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. \f + \ft The best ancient copies read in this way. However, some old translations and some modern translations read \fqa Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go into the fields." It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him \fqa* . \f*
+\v 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. \f + \ft The best ancient copies read in this way. However, some old translations and some modern translations read \fqa Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go into the fields." It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. \f*
 \p
 \v 9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
 
@@ -249,16 +253,19 @@
 \v 19 Lamech took for himself two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who lived in tents who have livestock.
+\v 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock.
 \v 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of those who play the harp and pipe.
 \v 22 As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-Cain, the forger of tools of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Lamech said to his wives,
-\q "Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to my words.
-\q For I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.
-\q
-\v 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times."
+\q1 "Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice;
+\q2 you wives of Lamech, listen to my words.
+\q1 For I have killed a man for wounding me, 
+\q2 a young man for bruising me.
+\q1
+\v 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, 
+\q2 then Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times."
 
 \s5
 \m
@@ -433,7 +440,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 8
 \p
-\v 1 God considered Noah, all the wild animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters started going down.
+\v 1 God remembered Noah, all the wild animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters started going down.
 \v 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and it stopped raining.
 \v 3 The flood waters went down slowly from the earth, and after the end of 150 days the waters had gone down.
 
@@ -472,16 +479,20 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh. He took some of the clean animals and some of the clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
-\v 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground because of mankind, even though the intentions of their hearts is evil from childhood. Nor will I again destroy everything living, as I have done.
+\v 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground because of mankind, even though the intention of mankind's heart is evil from childhood. Nor will I again destroy everything living, as I have done.
 \q
-\v 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat,
-\q summer and winter, and day and night will not cease."
+\v 22 While the earth remains, 
+\q2 seed time and harvest, 
+\q2 cold and heat,
+\q2 summer and winter, 
+\q2 and day and night
+\q2 will not cease."
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
 \v 1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.
-\v 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every living animal on the earth, upon every bird of the sky, upon everything that goes low on the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
+\v 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every living thing on the earth, upon every bird of the sky, upon everything that moves on the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
@@ -489,9 +500,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 But for your blood, the life that is in your blood, I will require payment. From the hand of every animal I will require it. From the hand of any man, that is, from the hand of one who has murdered his brother, I will require an accounting for the life of that man.
-\q
-\v 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man will his blood be shed,
-\q for it was in the image of God that he made man.
+\q1
+\v 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, 
+\q2 by man will his blood be shed,
+\q1 for it was in the image of God that he made man.
 \m
 \p
 \v 7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply, spread throughout the earth and multiply on it."
@@ -534,18 +546,18 @@
 \s5
 \v 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son had done to him.
 \v 25 So he said,
-\q "Cursed be Canaan.
-\q May he be a servant to his brothers' servants."
+\q1 "Cursed be Canaan.
+\q2 May he be a servant to his brothers' servants."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 He also said,
-\q "May Yahweh, the God of Shem, be blessed,
-\q and may Canaan be his servant.
-\q
+\q1 "May Yahweh, the God of Shem, be blessed,
+\q2 and may Canaan be his servant.
+\q1
 \v 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth,
-\q and let him make his home in the tents of Shem.
-\q May Canaan be his servant."
+\q2 and let him make his home in the tents of Shem.
+\q2 May Canaan be his servant."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -682,7 +694,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 24 When Nahor had live twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah.
+\v 24 When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah.
 \v 25 Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.
 \p
 \v 26 After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
@@ -706,8 +718,12 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Go from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's household, to the land that I will show you.
 \p
-\v 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
-\v 3 I will bless those who bless you, but whoever dishonors you I will curse. Through you will all the families of the earth be blessed."
+\q1
+\v 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, 
+\q2 and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
+\q1
+\v 3 I will bless those who bless you, but whoever dishonors you I will curse.
+\q2 Through you will all the families of the earth be blessed."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -773,7 +789,7 @@
 \v 15 All this land which you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 I will make your descendants as abundant as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted.
+\v 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted.
 \v 17 Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you."
 \v 18 So Abram picked up his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there built an altar to Yahweh.
 
@@ -812,16 +828,20 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (also called the King's Valley).
+\p
 \v 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 He blessed him saying,
-\q "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
-\q
-\v 20 Blessed be God Most High, who has given your enemies into your hand."
+\q1 "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, 
+\q2 Creator of heaven and earth.
+\q1
+\v 20 Blessed be God Most High, 
+\q2 who has given your enemies into your hand."
 \m Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself."
 \v 22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
 \v 23 that I will not take a thread, a sandal strap, or anything that is yours, so that you can never say, 'I have made Abram rich.'
@@ -860,7 +880,7 @@
 \v 16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit."
 
 \s5
-\v 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces.
+\v 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces.
 \v 18 On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I hereby give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—
 \v 19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
 \v 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites,
@@ -889,14 +909,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 The angel of Yahweh also said to her,
-\q "Behold, you are pregnant and will bear a son,
-\q and you will call his name Ishmael,
-\q because Yahweh has heard your affliction.
-\q
+\q1 "Behold, you are pregnant
+\q2 and will bear a son,
+\q1 and you will call his name Ishmael,
+\q2 because Yahweh has heard your affliction.
+\q1
 \v 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man.
-\q He will be hostile against every man,
-\q and every man will be hostile to him,
-\q and he will live apart from all his brothers."
+\q2 He will be hostile against every man,
+\q2 and every man will be hostile to him,
+\q1 and he will live apart from all his brothers."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1045,7 +1066,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
-\v 11 Then Lot's visitors struck with blindness the men who were outside the door of the house, both young and old, so that they became exhausted when they were trying to find the door.
+\v 11 Then Lot's visitors struck with blindness the men who were outside the door of the house, both small and great, so that they became exhausted when they were trying to find the door.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1176,7 +1197,7 @@
 \v 18 Get up, raise up the young man, and encourage him; for I will make him into a great nation."
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and gave the young man a drink.
+\v 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the young man a drink.
 \v 20 God was with the young man, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
 \v 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
 
@@ -1322,7 +1343,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 It came about that even before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out with her water pitcher on her shoulder. Rebekah was born to Bethuel son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother.
-\v 16 The young woman was very beautiful and a virgin. She had known no man. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher and came up.
+\v 16 The young woman was very beautiful and a virgin. No man had ever known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher and came up.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a little drink of water from your pitcher."
@@ -1343,7 +1364,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped Yahweh.
-\v 27 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his covenant faithfulness and his trustworthiness toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me directly to the house of my master's relatives."
+\v 27 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his covenant faithfulness and his trustworthiness toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me directly to the house of my master's relatives."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1407,8 +1428,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 59 So they sent their sister Rebekah, along with her female servant, on her journey with Abraham's servant and his men.
 \v 60 They blessed Rebekah, and said to her,
-\q "Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands,
-\q and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them."
+\q1 "Our sister, may you be the mother 
+\q2 of thousands of ten thousands,
+\q1 and may your descendants possess
+\q2 the gate of those who hate them."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1472,8 +1495,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Yahweh said to her,
-\q "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you.
-\q One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."
+\q1 "Two nations are in your womb,
+\q2 and two peoples will be separated from within you.
+\q1 One people will be stronger than the other,
+\q2 and the older will serve the younger."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1517,7 +1542,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 9 Abimelek called Isaac to him and said, "Look, certainly she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get her."
 \v 10 Abimelek said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."
-\v 11 So Abimelek solemnly charged all the people and said, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."
+\v 11 So Abimelek commanded all the people and said, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1624,21 +1649,24 @@
 \s5
 \v 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."
 \v 27 Jacob came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him. He said,
-\q "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed.
+\q1 "See, the smell of my son
+\q2 is like the smell of a field
+\q2 that Yahweh has blessed.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q1
 \v 28 May God give you a portion of the dew of heaven,
-\q a portion of the fatness of the earth,
-\q and plenty of grain and new wine.
+\q2 a portion of the fatness of the earth,
+\q2 and plenty of grain and new wine.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you.
-\q Be master over your brothers,
-\q and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
-\q May every one who curses you be cursed;
-\q may every one who blesses you be blessed."
+\q1
+\v 29 May peoples serve you 
+\q2 and nations bow down to you.
+\q1 Be master over your brothers,
+\q2 and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
+\q1 May every one who curses you be cursed;
+\q2 may every one who blesses you be blessed."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1662,11 +1690,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 39 Isaac his father answered and said to him,
-\q "Look, the place where you live will be far from the richness of the earth,
-\q away from the dew of the sky above.
-\q
-\v 40 By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother.
-\q But when you rebel, you will break his yoke off of your neck."
+\q1 "Look, the place where you live will be
+\q2 far from the richness of the earth,
+\q2 away from the dew of the sky above.
+\q1
+\v 40 By your sword you will live, 
+\q2 and you will serve your brother.
+\q1 But when you rebel, 
+\q2 you will break his yoke off of your neck."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1876,7 +1907,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 37 Jacob took fresh cut branches of fresh poplar, and of the almond and of the plane tree, and peeled white streaks in them, and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.
+\v 37 Jacob took fresh cut branches of the poplar, almond, and plane trees, and he peeled white streaks in them and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks.
 \v 38 Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink.
 
 \s5
@@ -1949,7 +1980,7 @@
 \v 30 Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"
 
 \s5
-\v 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force I left secretly.
+\v 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, "I fled secretly because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
 \v 32 Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
 
 \s5
@@ -1962,12 +1993,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
+\v 36 Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?
 \v 37 For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between the two of us.
 
 \s5
 \v 38 For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks.
-\v 39 What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. Instead, I bore the loss of it. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
+\v 39 What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it. You demanded payment from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
 \v 40 There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep.
 
 \s5
@@ -2046,7 +2077,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until dawn.
-\v 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip. Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
+\v 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip, so that his hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
 \v 26 The man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
 
 \s5
@@ -2159,8 +2190,8 @@
 \s5
 \c 35
 \p
-\v 1 God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and stay there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother."
-\v 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes.
+\v 1 God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother."
+\v 2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes.
 \v 3 Then let us depart and go up to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone."
 
 \s5
@@ -2313,7 +2344,7 @@
 \p
 \v 38 When Shaul died, then Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place.
 \p
-\v 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor, died, then Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.
+\v 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, then Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2935,18 +2966,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
+\v 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
 \p
-\v 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron;
+\v 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
 \p
-\v 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel
+\v 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
 \v 15 These were the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. His sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
 \p
-\v 17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel
+\v 17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.
 \v 18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to Leah his daughter. These sons she bore to Jacob—sixteen in all.
 
 \s5
@@ -3074,15 +3105,17 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 Israel reached out with his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head. He crossed his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
 \v 15 Israel blessed Joseph, saying,
-\q "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
-\q the God who has cared for me to this day,
-\q
-\v 16 the angel who has protected me from all harm, may he bless these boys.
-\q May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
-\q May they grow into a multitude on the earth."
-\m
+\q1 "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
+\q2 the God who has cared for me to this day,
+\q1
+\v 16 the angel who has protected me from all harm, 
+\q2 may he bless these boys.
+\q1 May my name be named in them, 
+\q2 and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
+\q2 May they grow into a multitude on the earth."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 17 When Joseph saw his father place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
 \v 18 Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head."
@@ -3090,11 +3123,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 19 His father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. Yet his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations."
 \v 20 Israel blessed them that day with these words,
-\q "The people of Israel will pronounce blessings by your names saying,
-\q 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh'."
+\q1 "The people of Israel will pronounce blessings by your names saying,
+\q2 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh'."
 \m In this way, Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 21 Israel said to Joseph, "See, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
 \v 22 To you, as one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."
 
@@ -3102,154 +3136,157 @@
 \c 49
 \p
 \v 1 Then Jacob called for his sons, and said:
-\q "Gather yourselves together,
-\q that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.
-\q
+\q1 "Gather yourselves together,
+\q2 that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.
+\q1
 \v 2 Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob.
-\q Listen to Israel, your father.
+\q2 Listen to Israel, your father.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
-\q and the beginning of my strength,
-\q outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.
-\q
+\q2 and the beginning of my strength,
+\q2 outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.
+\q1
 \v 4 Uncontrollable as rushing water,
-\q you will not have the preeminence,
-\q because you went up to your father's bed.
-\q Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.
+\q2 you will not have the preeminence,
+\q1 because you went up to your father's bed.
+\q2 Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 5 Simeon and Levi are brothers.
-\q Weapons of violence are their swords.
-\q
+\q2 Weapons of violence are their swords.
+\q1
 \v 6 O my soul, do not come into their council;
-\q O my glory, do not join in their meetings,
-\q for my heart has too much honor for that.
-\q For in their anger they killed men.
-\q It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.
+\q2 O my glory, do not join in their meetings.
+\q1 For in their anger they killed men.
+\q2 It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 7 May their anger be cursed,
-\q for it was fierce—and their fury, for it was severe.
-\q I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
+\q1
+\v 7 May their anger be cursed, for it was fierce
+\q2 and their fury, for it was severe.
+\q1 I will divide them in Jacob 
+\q2 and scatter them in Israel.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.
-\q Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.
-\q Your father's sons will bow down before you.
+\q2 Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.
+\q2 Your father's sons will bow down before you.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 9 Judah is a lion's cub. My son,
-\q you have gone up from your victims.
-\q He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness.
-\q Who would dare to awaken him?
+\q1
+\v 9 Judah is a lion's cub. 
+\q2 My son, you have gone up from your victims.
+\q1 He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness.
+\q2 Who would dare to awaken him?
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q1
 \v 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
-\q nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
-\q until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.
+\q2 nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
+\q2 until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q1
 \v 11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
-\q and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
-\q he has washed his garments in wine,
-\q and his robe in the blood of grapes.
-\q
+\q2 and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
+\q1 he has washed his garments in wine,
+\q2 and his robe in the blood of grapes.
+\q1
 \v 12 His eyes will be as dark as wine,
-\q and his teeth as white as milk.
+\q2 and his teeth as white as milk.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 13 Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea.
-\q He will be a harbor for ships,
-\q and his border will extend to Sidon.
+\q2 He will be a harbor for ships,
+\q2 and his border will extend to Sidon.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 14 Issachar is a strong donkey,
-\q lying down between the sheepfolds.
-\q
-\v 15 He sees a good resting place and the pleasant land.
-\q He will bend his shoulder to the burden
-\q and become a servant for forced labor.
+\q2 lying down between the sheepfolds.
+\q1
+\v 15 He sees a good resting place
+\q2 and the pleasant land.
+\q1 He will bend his shoulder to the burden
+\q2 and become a servant for forced labor.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 16 Dan will judge his people
-\q as one of the tribes of Israel.
-\q
+\q2 as one of the tribes of Israel.
+\q1
 \v 17 Dan will be a snake beside the road,
-\q a poisonous snake in the path
-\q that bites the horse's heels,
-\q so that his rider falls backward.
-\q
+\q2 a poisonous snake in the path
+\q1 that bites the horse's heels,
+\q2 so that his rider falls backward.
+\q1
 \v 18 I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 19 Gad—raiders will attack him,
-\q but he will attack them at their heels.
-\p
+\q2 but he will attack them at their heels.
+\b
+\q1
 \v 20 Asher's food will be rich,
-\q and he will provide royal delicacies.
-\p
-\q
+\q2 and he will provide royal delicacies.
+\b
+\q1
 \v 21 Naphtali is a doe let loose;
-\q he will have beautiful fawns.
+\q2 he will have beautiful fawns.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\q
+\q1
 \v 22 Joseph is a fruitful bough,
-\q a fruitful bough near a spring,
-\q whose branches climb over the wall.
-\q
+\q2 a fruitful bough near a spring,
+\q2 whose branches climb over the wall.
+\q1
 \v 23 The archers will attack him bitterly
-\q and shoot at him with hostility.
+\q1 and shoot at him with hostility.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q1
 \v 24 But his bow will remain steady,
-\q and his hands will be skillful
-\q because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
-\q because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
+\q2 and his hands will be skillful
+\q1 because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
+\q2 because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q1
 \v 25 The God of your father will help you
-\q and the Almighty God will bless you
-\q with blessings of the sky above,
-\q blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
-\q and blessings of the breasts and womb.
+\q2 and the Almighty God will bless you
+\q1 with blessings of the sky above,
+\q2 blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
+\q2 and blessings of the breasts and womb.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 26 The blessings of your father
-\q are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains
-\q or the desirable things of the ancient hills.
-\q May they be on the head of Joseph,
-\q even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.
+\q1
+\v 26 The blessings of your father are greater
+\q2 than the blessings of the ancient mountains
+\q2 or the desirable things of the ancient hills.
+\q1 May they be on the head of Joseph,
+\q2 even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
 \q
 \v 27 Benjamin is a hungry wolf.
-\q In the morning he will devour the prey,
-\q and in the evening he will divide the plunder."
+\q2 In the morning he will devour the prey,
+\q2 and in the evening he will divide the plunder."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p

02-EXO.usfm

@@ -170,9 +170,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Then Yahweh became angry with Moses. He said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
-\v 15 You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will show you both what to do.
-\v 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your mouth, and you will be to him like me, God.
-\v 17 You will take in your hand this staff. With it you will do the signs."
+\v 15 You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you both what to do.
+\v 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be like a mouth for you, and you will be like God for him.
+\v 17 You will take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs."
 
 \s5
 \v 18 So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go so I may return to my relatives who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 These two men were the Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, "Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their hosts."
-\v 27 Aaron and Moses spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to allow them bring out the people of Israel from Egypt. These were the same Moses and Aaron.
+\v 27 Aaron and Moses spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt,in order to bring out the people of Israel from Egypt. These were the same Moses and Aaron.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Yahweh has fixed a time; he has said, "It is tomorrow that I will do this thing in the land."'"
-\v 6 Yahweh did this the next day: All the cattle of Egypt died, but none of the people of Israel' animals died, not one animal.
+\v 6 Yahweh did this the next day: All the cattle of Egypt died, but none of the people of Israel's animals died, not one animal.
 \v 7 Pharaoh investigated, and, behold, not even one livestock of the people of Israel died. But his heart was stubborn, so he did not let the people go.
 
 \s5
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@
 \v 8 You must eat the meat that night, after first roasting it over a fire. Eat it with bread made without yeast, along with bitter herbs.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water. Instead, roast it over fire with its head, legs and inner parts.
+\v 9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roast it over fire with its head, legs, and inner parts.
 \v 10 You must not let any of it be left over until morning. You must burn whatever is left over in the morning.
 \v 11 This is how you must eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You must eat it hurriedly. It is Yahweh's Passover.
 
@@ -696,7 +696,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 When your son asks you later, 'What does this mean?' then you are to tell him, 'It was by a strong hand that Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of slavery.
-\v 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed every the firstborn in Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animal. That is why I sacrifice to Yahweh all the first male issue of the womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.'
+\v 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed every firstborn in Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animal. That is why I sacrifice to Yahweh all the first male issue of the womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.'
 \v 16 This will become a reminder on your hands, and a reminder on your forehead, for it was by a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt."
 
 \s5
@@ -773,80 +773,80 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to Yahweh. They sang,
 \q "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously;
-\q the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
+\q2 the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 Yahweh is my strength and song,
-\q and he has become my salvation.
+\q2 and he has become my salvation.
 \q This is my God, and I will praise him,
-\q my father's God, and I will exalt him.
+\q2 my father's God, and I will exalt him. 
 \q
 \v 3 Yahweh is a warrior;
-\q Yahweh is his name.
+\q2 Yahweh is his name.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 He has thrown Pharaoh's chariots and army into the sea.
-\q Pharaoh's chosen officers were drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
+\q2 Pharaoh's chosen officers were drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
 \q
 \v 5 The depths covered them;
-\q they went down into the depths like a stone.
+\q2 they went down into the depths like a stone.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power;
-\q your right hand, Yahweh, has shattered the enemy.
+\q2 your right hand, Yahweh, has shattered the enemy.
 \q
 \v 7 In great majesty you overthrew those who rose up against you.
-\q You sent out your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
+\q2 You sent out your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
 \q
 \v 8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up;
-\q the flowing waters stood upright in a heap;
-\q the deep water was congealed in the heart of the sea.
+\q2 the flowing waters stood upright in a heap;
+\q2 the deep water was congealed in the heart of the sea.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will share out the plunder;
-\q my desire will be satisfied on them;
-\q I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.'
+\q2 my desire will be satisfied on them;
+\q2 I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.'
 \q
 \v 10 But you blew with your wind, and the sea covered them;
-\q they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
+\q2 they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
 \q
 \v 11 Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?
-\q Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
-\q honored in praises, doing miracles?
+\q2 Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
+\q2 honored in praises, doing miracles?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 You reached out with your right hand,
-\q and the earth swallowed them.
+\q2 and the earth swallowed them.
 \q
 \v 13 In your covenant loyalty you have led the people you have rescued.
-\q In your strength you have led them to the holy place where you live.
+\q2 In your strength you have led them to the holy place where you live.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 The peoples will hear, and they will tremble;
-\q terror will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
+\q2 terror will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
 \q
 \v 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will fear;
-\q the soldiers of Moab will shake;
-\q all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
+\q2 the soldiers of Moab will shake;
+\q2 all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Terror and dread will fall on them.
-\q Because of your arm's power, they will become as still as a stone
+\q2 Because of your arm's power, they will become as still as a stone
 \q until your people pass by, Yahweh—
-\q until the people you have rescued pass by.
+\q2 until the people you have rescued pass by.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 You will bring them and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance,
-\q the place, Yahweh, that you have made to live in,
-\q the sanctuary, our Lord, that your hands have built.
+\q2 the place, Yahweh, that you have made to live in,
+\q2 the sanctuary, our Lord, that your hands have built.
 \q
 \v 18 Yahweh will reign forever and ever."
 
@@ -856,7 +856,7 @@
 \v 20 Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine, and all the women went out with tambourines, dancing along with her.
 \v 21 Miriam sang to them:
 \q "Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously.
-\q The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
+\q2 The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 While Moses was holding his hands up, Israel was winning; when he let his hands rest, Amalek would begin to win.
-\v 12 When Moses's hands became heavy, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. At the same time, Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one person on one side of him, and the other person on the other side. So Moses's hands were held steady until the sun went down.
+\v 12 When Moses' hands became heavy, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. At the same time, Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one person on one side of him, and the other person on the other side. So Moses' hands were held steady until the sun went down.
 \v 13 So Joshua laid waste to Amalek and his people with the sword.
 
 \s5
@@ -970,13 +970,13 @@
 \s5
 \c 18
 \p
-\v 1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses's father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people. He heard that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
-\v 2 Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses's wife, after he had sent her home,
+\v 1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people. He heard that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
+\v 2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home,
 \v 3 and her two sons; the name of the one son was Gershom, for Moses had said, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land."
 \v 4 The name of the other was Eliezer, for Moses had said, "My ancestor's God was my help. He rescued me from Pharaoh's sword."
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, came with Moses's sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.
+\v 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with Moses' sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.
 \v 6 He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."
 
 \s5
@@ -989,19 +989,19 @@
 \v 11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, because when the Egyptians treated the Israelites arrogantly, God rescued his people."
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal before God with Moses's father-in-law.
+\v 12 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal before God with Moses' father-in-law.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 On the next day Moses sat down to judge the people. The people stood around him from morning until evening.
-\v 14 When Moses's father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing with the people? Why is it that you sit alone and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?"
+\v 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing with the people? Why is it that you sit alone and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?"
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Moses said to his father-in-law, "The people come to me to ask for God's direction.
 \v 16 When they have a dispute, they come to me. I decide between one person and another, and I teach them God's statutes and laws."
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Moses's father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not very good.
+\v 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not very good.
 \v 18 You will surely wear yourselves out, you and the people who are with you. This burden is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself.
 \v 19 Listen to me. I will give you advice, and God will be with you, because you are the people's representative to God, and you bring their disputes to him.
 \v 20 You must teach them his statutes and laws. You must show them the way to walk and the work to do.
@@ -1041,7 +1041,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 You must set boundaries all around the mountain for the people. Say to them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death.'
-\v 13 No one's hand must touch such a person. Instead, he must certainly be stoned or shot. Whatever it is, animal or man, shall not live. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may come up to the foot of the mountain."
+\v 13 No one's hand may touch him. Rather, he must certainly be stoned or shot. Whether an animal or a man, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may come up to the mountain."
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He set apart the people to Yahweh and they washed their garments.
@@ -1081,7 +1081,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 You must not take the name of Yahweh your God, in vain, for I will not hold guiltless anyone who takes my name in vain.
+\v 7 You must not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for I will not hold guiltless anyone who takes my name in vain.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1151,7 +1151,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Whoever strikes a man so that he dies, that person must surely be put to death.
-\v 13 If the man did not do it with premeditation, but instead by accident, then I will fix a place to where he can flee.
+\v 13 If the man did not lie in wait for him, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place to where he can flee.
 \v 14 If a man arrogantly attacks his neighbor and kills him cleverly, then you must take him, even if he is at God's altar, so that he may die.
 
 \s5
@@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them.
-\v 24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces.
+\v 24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do, but you must completely break them down, and you must smash their stone pillars in pieces.
 \v 25 You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you.
 
 \s5
@@ -1716,14 +1716,14 @@
 \p
 \v 31 You must take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place.
 \v 32 Aaron and his sons must eat the ram's meat and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
-\v 33 They must eat the meat and bread that were given to atone for them and to ordain them, to be set apart to me. No one else may eat that food, because they must treat it as consecrated to me, reserved for me.
+\v 33 They must eat the meat and bread that were given to atone for them and to ordain them to be set apart to me. No one else may eat that food; they must treat it as holy.
 \v 34 If any of the meat of the ordination offering, or any of the bread, remains to the next morning, then you must burn it. It must not be eaten because it has been set apart to me.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 In this way, by following all that I have commanded you to do, you must treat Aaron and his sons. For seven days you must prepare them.
 \v 36 Every day you must offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. You must purify the altar by making atonement for it, and you must anoint it in order to set it apart to me.
-\v 37 For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and set it apart it to Yahweh. Then the altar will be completely set apart to me. Whatever touches the altar will be set apart to Yahweh.
+\v 37 For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and set it apart to Yahweh. Then the altar will be completely set apart to me. Whatever touches the altar will be set apart to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1842,7 +1842,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses and said,
+\v 12 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
 \v 13 "Tell the people of Israel: 'You must certainly keep Yahweh's Sabbath days, for these will be a sign between him and you throughout your people's generations so that you may know that he is Yahweh, who sets you apart for himself.
 \v 14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it must be treated by you as holy, reserved for him. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death. Whoever works on the Sabbath, that person must surely be cut off from his people.
 \v 15 Work will be done for six days, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy before Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.
@@ -1893,8 +1893,8 @@
 \v 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is the noise of combat in the camp."
 \v 18 But Moses said,
 \q "It is not the sound of a shout of victory,
-\q and it is not the sound of a cry of defeat,
-\q but the sound of singing that I hear."
+\q2 and it is not the sound of a cry of defeat,
+\q2 but the sound of singing that I hear."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1968,7 +1968,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Yahweh said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name 'Yahweh' before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
-\v 20 But Yahweh said, "You may not see my face, for no one can see me and live."
+\v 20 But Yahweh said, "You must not see my face, for no one can see me and live."
 
 \s5
 \v 21 Yahweh said, "See, here is a place by me; you will stand on this rock.
@@ -2001,7 +2001,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, or they will become a trap among you.
-\v 13 Instead, you must break down their altars, smash their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.
+\v 13 Rather, you must break down their altars, smash their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.
 \v 14 For you must worship no other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
 
 \s5
@@ -2047,7 +2047,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 34 Whenever Moses went before Yahweh to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. When he came out, he would tell the people of Israel what he was commanded to say.
-\v 35 When the people of Israel saw Moses's face shining, he would put the veil over his face again until he went back in to speak with Yahweh.
+\v 35 When the people of Israel saw Moses' face shining, he would put the veil over his face again until he went back in to speak with Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \c 35
@@ -2084,7 +2084,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then the entire congregation of the people of Israel left and went away from Moses's presence.
+\v 20 Then the entire congregation of the people of Israel left and went away from Moses' presence.
 \v 21 Everyone whose heart stirred him up and whom his spirit made willing came and brought a contribution to Yahweh for the construction of the tabernacle, for all the items of service in it, and for the holy garments.
 \v 22 They came, both men and women, all who had a willing heart. They brought brooches, earrings, rings, and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry. They all presented offerings of gold as a wave offering to Yahweh.
 
@@ -2189,7 +2189,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 37
 \p
-\v 1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits; its width was one cubit and a half; and its height was one cubit and a half.
+\v 1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, its width was one cubit and a half, and its height was one cubit and a half.
 \v 2 He covered it inside and out with pure gold and made for it a border of gold around its top.
 \v 3 He cast four rings of gold for its four feet, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side.
 
@@ -2281,7 +2281,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, as it was taken following Moses's instructions. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
+\v 21 This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, as it was taken following Moses' instructions. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
 \v 22 Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, made everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 \v 23 Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, worked with Bezalel as an engraver, as a skillful workman, and as an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and in fine linen.
 
@@ -2422,7 +2422,7 @@
 \p
 \v 17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.
 \v 18 Moses set up the tabernacle, put its bases in place, set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its pillars and posts.
-\v 19 He spread the covering over the tabernacle and put tent over it, as Yahweh had commanded him.
+\v 19 He spread the covering over the tabernacle and put the tent over it, as Yahweh had commanded him.
 \v 20 He took the covenant decrees and put them into the ark. He also placed the poles on the ark and put the atonement lid on it.
 
 \s5

03-LEV.usfm

@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
-\v 7 He put on Aaron the tunic and tied the sash around his waist, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him, and then he tied the ephod around him with the finely-woven waistband and bound it to him.
+\v 7 He put the tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his waist, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him, and then he tied the ephod around him with the finely-woven waistband and bound it to him.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 Then Moses took them from off their hands and burned them on the altar for the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering and produced a sweet aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
-\v 29 Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering to Yahweh. It was Moses's share of the ram for the priests' ordination, as Yahweh had commanded him.
+\v 29 Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering to Yahweh. It was Moses' share of the ram for the priests' ordination, as Yahweh had commanded him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@
 \v 33 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are fulfilled. For Yahweh will consecrate you for seven days.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 What has been done this day— Yahweh has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.
+\v 34 What has been done this day—Yahweh has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.
 \v 35 You will stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and keep the command of Yahweh, so you will not die, because this is what I have been commanded."
 \v 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things which Yahweh had commanded them through Moses.
 
@@ -507,14 +507,16 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh was talking about when he said,
 \q 'I will reveal my holiness to those who come near me.
-\q I will be glorified before all the people.'"
+\q2 I will be glorified before all the people.'"
 \m Aaron did not say anything.
+\p
 \v 4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come here and carry your brothers out of the camp from before the tabernacle."
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So they came near and carried them, still wearing their priestly tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had instructed.
+\p
 \v 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, "Do not let your hair on your heads hang loosely, and do not tear your clothes, so that you may not die, and so that Yahweh may not be angry with all the assembly. But allow your relatives, the entire house of Israel, to mourn for those whom the fire of Yahweh has set ablaze.
-\v 7 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you." So they acted according to Moses's instructions.
+\v 7 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you." So they acted according to Moses' instructions.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -561,7 +563,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 The animals living in the water that you may eat are all those that have fins and scales, whether in the ocean or in the rivers.
-\v 10 But all living creatures that do not have fins and scales in the ocean or rivers, including all that move in the water and all the living creatures that are in the water— they must be detested by you.
+\v 10 But all living creatures that do not have fins and scales in the ocean or rivers, including all that move in the water and all the living creatures that are in the water—they must be detested by you.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Since they must be detested, you must not eat of their meat; also, their carcasses must be detested.
@@ -746,7 +748,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 45 The person who has an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, his hair must hang loosely, and he must cover his face up to his nose and call out, 'Unclean, unclean.'
+\v 45 The leprous person who has the disease must wear torn clothes, his hair must hang loosely, and he must cover his face up to his nose and call out, 'Unclean, unclean.'
 \v 46 All the days that he has the infectious disease he will be unclean. Because he is unclean with a disease that can spread, he must live alone. He must live outside the camp.
 
 \s5
@@ -783,7 +785,7 @@
 \v 2 "This will be the law for the leper on the day of his cleansing. He must be brought to the priest.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 The priest will go out of the camp to examine the leper to see if the infectious skin disease is healed.
+\v 3 The priest will go out of the camp to examine the leper to see if the leprosy is healed.
 \v 4 Then the priest will command that the one to be cleansed must take two live, clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.
 \v 5 The priest will command him to kill one of the birds over fresh water that is in a clay pot.
 
@@ -940,8 +942,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is not in the time of her menstruation, or if she has a flow beyond the time of her menstruation, during all the days of the flow of her uncleanness, she will be as if she were in the days of her period. She is unclean.
-\v 26 Every bed on which she lies all during her flow of blood will be to her just like the bed on which she lies during her menstruation, and everything on which she sits will be unclean, just like the uncleanness of her menstruation.
+\v 25 If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is not in the time of her impurity, or if she has a flow beyond the time of her impurity, during all the days of the flow of her uncleanness, she will be as if she were in the days of her impurity. She is unclean.
+\v 26 Every bed on which she lies all during her flow of blood will be to her just like the bed on which she lies during her impurity, and everything on which she sits will be unclean, just like the uncleanness of her impurity.
 \v 27 Whoever touches any of those things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening.
 
 \s5
@@ -1026,7 +1028,7 @@
 \v 31 It is a solemn Sabbath of rest for you, and you must humble yourselves and do no work. This will always be a statute among you.
 
 \s5
-\v 32 The high priest, the one who will be anointed and ordained to be high priest in his father's place, he must make this atonement and put on the linen garments, that is, the holy garments.
+\v 32 The high priest, the one who will be anointed and ordained to be high priest in his father's place, must make this atonement and put on the linen garments, that is, the holy garments.
 \v 33 He must make atonement for the most holy place; he must make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he must make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
 
 \s5
@@ -1041,7 +1043,7 @@
 \v 4 if he does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a sacrifice to Yahweh before his tabernacle, that man is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood, and that man must be cut off from among his people.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 The purpose of this command is so that the people of Israel will bring their sacrifices to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting, to the priest to be sacrificed as fellowship offerings to Yahweh, instead of offering sacrifices in an open field.
+\v 5 The purpose of this command is so that the people of Israel will bring their sacrifices to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting, to the priest, to be sacrificed as fellowship offerings to Yahweh, instead of offering sacrifices in an open field.
 \v 6 The priest will sprinkle the blood on Yahweh's altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting; he will burn the fat for it to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1162,11 +1164,11 @@
 \p
 \v 13 Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant must not stay with you all night until the morning.
 \p
-\v 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind. Instead, you must fear your God. I am Yahweh.
+\v 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but fear your God. I am Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Do not cause judgment to be false. You must not show favoritism to someone because he is poor, and you must not show favoritism to someone because he is important. Instead, judge your neighbor justly.
+\v 15 Do not cause judgment to be false. You must not exalt the poor nor favor the great. Instead, judge your neighbor justly.
 \p
 \v 16 Do not walk around spreading slander among your people, but seek to protect your neighbor's life. I am Yahweh.
 
@@ -1194,7 +1196,7 @@
 \p
 \v 23 When you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you must regard the fruit they produce as forbidden to be eaten. The fruit must be forbidden to you for three years. It must not be eaten.
 \v 24 But in the fourth year all the fruit will be holy, a sacrifice of praise to Yahweh.
-\v 25 In the fifth you may eat the fruit, having waited so that the trees might produce more. I am Yahweh your God.
+\v 25 In the fifth year you may eat the fruit, having waited so that the trees might produce more. I am Yahweh your God.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1244,7 +1246,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 The person who turns to sorcerers and spiritists so as to prostitute themselves with them, I will set my face against that person; I will cut him off from among his people.
-\v 7 Therefore consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am Yahweh your God. \f + \ft Several modern translations have \fqa ... because I, Yahweh your God, am holy \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 Therefore consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am Yahweh your God. \f + \ft Several modern translations have \fqa ... because I, Yahweh your God, am holy. \fqa* \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1539,7 +1541,7 @@
 \v 6 Then you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 You must put pure incense along each row of loaves as a representative offering. This incense will be burnt for Yahweh.
+\v 7 You must put pure incense along each row of loaves as a representative offering. This incense will be an offering made by fire for Yahweh.
 \v 8 Every Sabbath day the high priest must regularly set out the bread before Yahweh on behalf of the people of Israel, as a sign of an everlasting covenant.
 \v 9 This offering will be for Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a place that is holy, for it is a portion from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire."
 
@@ -1595,7 +1597,7 @@
 \v 10 You must set apart the fiftieth year to Yahweh and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you, in which property and slaves must be returned to his own clan.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you. You must not plant or conduct an organized harvest. Eat whatever grows by itself, and gather the grapes that grow on the unpruned vines.
+\v 11 The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you. You must not plant or conduct an organized harvest, and you must not gather the grapes that grow on the unpruned vines.
 \v 12 For it is a Jubilee, which will be holy for you. You must eat the produce that grows by itself out of the fields.
 
 \s5
@@ -1826,7 +1828,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 19 If the man who set apart the field wishes to redeem it, then he must add a fifth to the valuation, and it will belong to him.
 \v 20 If he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it cannot be redeemed any more.
-\v 21 Instead, the field, when it is released in the year of Jubilee, will be a holy gift to Yahweh, like the field that has been completely given to Yahweh. It will belong to the priest.
+\v 21 Rather, the field, when it is released in the year of Jubilee, will be a holy gift to Yahweh, like the field that has been completely given to Yahweh. It will belong to the priest.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 If a man sets apart a field that he has bought, but that field is not part of his family's land,

04-NUM.usfm

@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@
 \v 14 from the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
 \q1
 \v 15 and from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 16 These were the men appointed from the people. They led their ancestors' tribes. They were the leaders of the clans in Israel.
 
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
 \v 49 "You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the total of the people of Israel.
 
 \s5
-\v 50 Instead, assign the Levites to care for the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, and to care for all the furnishings in the tabernacle and for everything in it. The Levites must carry the tabernacle, and they must carry the tabernacle's furnishings. They must care for the tabernacle and make their camp around it.
+\v 50 Rather, assign the Levites to care for the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, and to care for all the furnishings in the tabernacle and for everything in it. The Levites must carry the tabernacle, and they must carry the tabernacle's furnishings. They must care for the tabernacle and make their camp around it.
 
 \s5
 \v 51 When the tabernacle is to move to another place, the Levites must take it down. When the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites must set it up. Any stranger who comes near the tabernacle must be killed.
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 29 The tribe of Naphtali is next. The leader of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.
-\v 30 The number the host of the people of Naphtali is 53,400.
+\v 30 The number of the host of the people of Naphtali is 53,400.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 All those numbered in the camp with Dan is 157,600. They will go out from the camp last, under their banner."
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 These are the descendants of Israel, numbered according to their ancestral households. All those counted in their camps, by their divisions, are 603,550.
-\v 33 But he Levites were not counted along with the people of Israel, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
+\v 33 But the Levites were not counted along with the people of Israel, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -246,8 +246,8 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
-\v 12 "Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel. I have done this instead of taking each firstborn, the first issue of the womb, from among the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me.
-\v 13 All the firstborn belong to me. On the day that I attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both men and animals. They belong to me. I am Yahweh."
+\v 12 "Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel. I have done this instead of taking each firstborn, who opens the womb, from among the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me,
+\v 13 for all the firstborn belong to me. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both men and animals. They belong to me. I am Yahweh."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@
 \v 12 "Speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Suppose that a man's wife turns away and is unfaithful to her husband.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 If a man lies with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and her impurity is undetected even though she defiled herself, and there no witness against her, since she was not caught in the act,
+\v 13 If a man lies with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and her impurity is undetected even though she defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not caught in the act,
 \v 14 nevertheless, a spirit of jealousy might still inform the husband that his wife is defiled. However, a spirit of jealousy might falsely come on a man when his wife is not defiled.
 
 \s5
@@ -547,15 +547,18 @@
 \p
 \v 22 Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,
 \v 23 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons. Say, 'You must bless the people of Israel in this way. You must say to them,
-\p
-\v 24 "May Yahweh bless you and keep you.
+\q
+\v 24 "May Yahweh bless you
+\q2 and keep you.
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 25 May Yahweh make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
-\p
-\v 26 May Yahweh look on you with favor and give you peace."'
-\p
+\q
+\v 25 May Yahweh make his face shine on you
+\q2 and be gracious to you.
+\q
+\v 26 May Yahweh look on you with favor
+\q2 and give you peace."'
+\m
 \v 27 It is in this way that they must give my name to the people of Israel. Then I will bless them."
 
 \s5
@@ -681,7 +684,7 @@
 \p
 \v 60 On the ninth day, Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the descendants of Benjamin, offered his sacrifice.
 \p
-\v 61 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering.
+\v 61 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
 \v 62 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense.
 
 \s5
@@ -705,7 +708,7 @@
 \p
 \v 72 On the eleventh day, Pagiel son of Okran, leader of the descendants of Asher, offered his sacrifice.
 \p
-\v 73 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering.
+\v 73 His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
 \v 74 He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense.
 
 \s5
@@ -756,7 +759,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle the water of atonement on them. Make them shave their entire body, wash their clothes, and purify themselves.
-\v 8 Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mingled with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering.
+\v 8 Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel.
@@ -899,7 +902,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Moses spoke to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite. Reuel was the father of Moses's wife. Moses spoke to Hobab and said, "We are traveling to a place that Yahweh described. Yahweh said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will do you good. Yahweh has promised to do good for Israel."
+\v 29 Moses spoke to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite. Reuel was the father of Moses' wife. Moses spoke to Hobab and said, "We are traveling to a place that Yahweh described. Yahweh said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will do you good. Yahweh has promised to do good for Israel."
 \v 30 But Hobab said to Moses, "I will not go with you. I will go to my own land and my own relatives."
 
 \s5
@@ -914,7 +917,6 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, "Rise up, Yahweh. Scatter your enemies. Make those who hate you run from you."
-\p
 \v 36 Whenever the ark stopped, Moses would say, "Return, Yahweh, to Israel's many tens of thousands."
 
 \s5
@@ -936,7 +938,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell.
-\v 10 Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses's eyes their complaining was wrong.
+\v 10 Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses' eyes their complaining was wrong.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Moses said to Yahweh, "Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why are you not pleased with me? You make me carry the load of all these people.
@@ -973,7 +975,7 @@
 \v 27 A young man in the camp ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Joshua son of Nun, Moses's assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, "My master Moses, stop them."
+\v 28 Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, "My master Moses, stop them."
 \v 29 Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Yahweh's people were prophets and that he would put his Spirit on them all!"
 \v 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.
 
@@ -1002,16 +1004,16 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 Yahweh said, "Now listen to my words.
 \q When a prophet of mine is with you,
-\q1 I will reveal myself to him in visions
-\q1 and speak to him in dreams.
+\q2 I will reveal myself to him in visions
+\q2 and speak to him in dreams.
 \q
 \v 7 My servant Moses is not like that.
-\q1 He is faithful in all my house.
+\q2 He is faithful in all my house.
 \q
 \v 8 I speak to Moses directly, not with visions or riddles.
-\q1 He sees my form.
+\q2 He sees my form.
 \q So why are you unafraid
-\q1 to speak against my servant, against Moses?"
+\q2 to speak against my servant, against Moses?"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1019,6 +1021,7 @@
 \v 10 The cloud rose from over the tent, and Miriam was suddenly leprous—she was as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward Miriam, he saw that she had leprosy.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 11 Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my master, please do not hold this sin against us. We have spoken foolishly, and we have sinned.
 \v 12 Please do not let her be like a dead newborn whose flesh is half consumed when it emerges from its mother's womb."
 
@@ -1115,7 +1118,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 They said to each another, "Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt."
+\v 4 They said to one another, "Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt."
 \v 5 Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -1423,7 +1426,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron, "Look, I have given you the duty of handling the contributions lifted up to me, and all the holy offerings that the people of Israel give to me. I have given these offerings to you as a consecrated portion and to your sons as your assigned portion for all time.
-\v 9 This will belong to you from the most holy things that is kept from the fire. From every offering of theirs—every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering—they are set apart to you and to your sons.
+\v 9 This will belong to you from the most holy things that are kept from the fire. From every offering of theirs—every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering—they are set apart to you and to your sons.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 These offerings are very holy; every male must eat it, for they are holy to you.
@@ -1611,9 +1614,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 That is why it says in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,
 \q "... Zahab \f + \ft Some modern English translations read, \fqa Waheb \fqa* . \f* in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
-\q
+\q2
 \v 15 the slope of the valleys that lead toward the town of Ar
-\q and lie along the border of Moab."
+\q2 and lie along the border of Moab."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1623,12 +1626,12 @@
 \p
 \v 17 Then Israel sang this song:
 \q "Spring up, well!
-\q Sing about it,
+\q2 Sing about it,
 \q
 \v 18 about the well that our leaders dug,
-\q the well the nobles of the people dug,
-\q with the scepter and their staffs."
-\m Then from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah.
+\q2 the well the nobles of the people dug,
+\q2 with the scepter and their staffs."
+\p Then from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
@@ -1639,7 +1642,7 @@
 \v 21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites saying,
 \v 22 "Let us pass through your land. We will not turn into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from your wells. We will travel by the king's highway until we have crossed your border."
 \p
-\v 23 But King Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through their border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his army together and attacked Israel in the wilderness. He came to Jahaz, where he fought against Israel.
+\v 23 But King Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his army together and went out into the wilderness against Israel. He came to Jahaz, where he fought against Israel.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Israel attacked the army of Sihon with the edge of the sword and took their land from the Arnon to the Jabbok river, as far as the land of the people of Ammon. Now the border of the people of Ammon was fortified.
@@ -1649,24 +1652,25 @@
 \s5
 \v 27 That is why those who speak in proverbs say,
 \q "Come to Heshbon.
-\q Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and established again.
+\q2 Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and established again.
 \q
 \v 28 A fire blazed from Heshbon,
-\q a flame from the city of Sihon
+\q2 a flame from the city of Sihon
 \q that devoured Ar of Moab,
-\q and the owners of the high places of Arnon.
+\q2 and the owners of the high places of Arnon.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 29 Woe to you, Moab!
-\q You have perished, people of Chemosh.
+\q2 You have perished, people of Chemosh.
 \q He has made his sons to be fugitives
-\q and his daughters to be prisoners
-\q of Sihon king of the Amorites.
+\q2 and his daughters to be prisoners
+\q2 of Sihon king of the Amorites.
 \q
-\v 30 But we have conquered Sihon. Heshbon is devastated all the way to Dibon.
+\v 30 But we have conquered Sihon. 
+\q2 Heshbon is devastated all the way to Dibon.
 \q We have defeated them all the way to Nophah,
-\q which reaches to Medeba."
+\q2 which reaches to Medeba."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1682,7 +1686,6 @@
 \s5
 \c 22
 \nb
-\p
 \v 1 The people of Israel traveled on until they camped in the plains of Moab near Jericho, on the other side of the Jordan River from the city.
 
 \s5
@@ -1802,7 +1805,6 @@
 \q2 and let my life's end be like his!"
 
 \s5
-\m
 \p
 \v 11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them."
 \v 12 Balaam answered and said, "Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?"
@@ -1816,6 +1818,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 16 So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, "Return to Balak and give him my message."
 \v 17 Balaam returned to him, and look, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. Then Balak said to him, "What has Yahweh said?"
+\p
 \v 18 Balaam began his prophecy. He said,
 \q "Rise up, Balak, and hear.
 \q2 Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
@@ -1826,17 +1829,18 @@
 \q2 or a human being, that he should change his mind.
 \q Has he promised anything without doing it?
 \q2 Has he said he would do something without carrying it out?
+\q
 \v 20 Look, I have been commanded to bless.
 \q2 God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.
-\q
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
 \q
 \v 21 He has not looked upon disaster in Jacob,
 \q2 and he has not seen trouble in Israel.
 \q Yahweh their God is with them,
 \q2 and the shout of the king is among them.
+\q
 \v 22 God brought them out of Egypt
 \q2 with strength like that of a wild ox.
 
@@ -1844,7 +1848,7 @@
 \q
 \v 23 There is no sorcery that works against Jacob,
 \q2 and no divination harms Israel.
-\q Instead, it must be said about Jacob and Israel,
+\q Now it must be said about Jacob and Israel,
 \q2 'Look what God has done!'
 
 \s5
@@ -1868,7 +1872,6 @@
 
 \s5
 \c 24
-\nb
 \p
 \v 1 When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to use sorcery. Instead, he looked toward the wilderness.
 
@@ -1882,7 +1885,8 @@
 \q
 \v 4 the declaration of the one who hears the words of God,
 \q2 who sees a vision from the Almighty,
-\q who bows down with his eyes open.
+\q2 who bows down with his eyes open.
+\b
 \q
 \v 5 How delightful are your tents, Jacob,
 \q2 the place where you live, Israel!
@@ -1891,7 +1895,7 @@
 \q
 \v 6 Like valleys they spread out,
 \q2 like gardens by the riverside,
-\q2 like aloes planted by Yahweh,
+\q like aloes planted by Yahweh,
 \q2 like cedars beside the waters.
 
 \s5
@@ -1900,12 +1904,13 @@
 \q2 and their seed will have abundant water.
 \q Their king will be greater than Agag,
 \q2 and their kingdom will be honored.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 God will bring him out of Egypt.
-\q He will have strength like a wild ox.
-\q2 He will eat up the nations who fight against him.
+\q2 He will have strength like a wild ox.
+\q He will eat up the nations who fight against him.
 \q2 He will break their bones to pieces.
 \q2 He will shoot them with his arrows.
 
@@ -1922,24 +1927,27 @@
 \v 11 So flee home now. I said I would greatly reward you, but Yahweh has kept you from getting any reward."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 12 Then Balaam replied to Balak, "I said to the messengers that you sent to me,
 \v 13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond Yahweh's word and anything bad or good, or anything at all that I might want to do. I can say only what Yahweh tells me to say.' Did I not say this to them?
 \v 14 So now, look, I will go back to my people. But first let me advise you about what this people will do to your people in the days ahead."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 15 Balaam began this prophecy. He said,
 \q "This is the declaration of Balaam son of Beor,
 \q2 the declaration of the man whose eyes are wide open.
 \q
 \v 16 This is the declaration of someone who hears words from God,
 \q2 who has knowledge from the Most High,
-\q2 who sees visions from the Almighty,
-\q who bows down with open eyes.
+\q who sees visions from the Almighty,
+\q2 who bows down with open eyes.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 I see him, but he is not here now.
-\q I look at him, but he is not near.
+\q2 I look at him, but he is not near.
 \q A star will come out of Jacob,
 \q2 and a scepter will rise out of Israel.
 \q He will shatter Moab's leaders
@@ -1948,39 +1956,38 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 Then Edom will become a possession of Israel,
-\q and Seir will also become their possession,
-\q2 enemies of Israel,
+\q2 and Seir will also become their possession,
+\q enemies of Israel,
 \q2 whom Israel will conquer with force.
 \q
 \v 19 Out of Jacob a king will come who will have dominion,
 \q2 and he will destroy the survivors of their city."
 
 \s5
-\m
+\p
 \v 20 Then Balaam looked at Amalek and began his prophecy. He said,
 \q "Amalek was once the greatest of nations,
 \q2 but his end will be eternal destruction."
 
 \s5
-\m
+\p
 \v 21 Then Balaam looked toward the Kenites and began his prophecy. He said,
 \q "The place where you live is strong,
 \q2 and your nest is in the rocks.
 \q
 \v 22 Nevertheless you Kenites will be consumed by fire
 \q2 when Assyria carries you away captive."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 23 Then Balaam began his final prophecy. He said,
 \q "Woe! Who will survive when God does this?
-\q
+\q1
 \v 24 Ships will come from the coast of Cyprus \f + \ft Some modern English translations read, \fqa Kittim \fqa* . \f*;
 \q2 they will attack Assyria and will conquer Eber,
 \q2 but they, too, will end in destruction."
 
 \s5
-\m
 \p
 \v 25 Then Balaam got up and left. He returned to his home, and Balak also went away.
 
@@ -1993,7 +2000,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Kill all the leaders of the people and hang them up before me to expose them in the daylight, so that my fierce anger may turn away from Israel."
-\v 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you must slay his people who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor."
+\v 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you must kill his people who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2057,10 +2064,9 @@
 \q1 through Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites,
 \q1 through Jakin, the clan of the Jakinites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 13 through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites,
 \q1 through Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.
-\p
+\m
 \v 14 These were the clans of Simeon's descendants, who numbered 22,200 men.
 
 \s5
@@ -2070,14 +2076,12 @@
 \q1 through Haggi, the clan of the Haggites,
 \q1 through Shuni, the clan of the Shunites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 16 through Ozni, the clan of the Oznites,
 \q1 through Eri, the clan of the Erites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 17 through Arod, the clan of the Arodites,
 \q1 through Areli, the clan of the Arelites.
-\p
+\m
 \v 18 These were the clans of Gad's descendants, who numbered 40,500 men.
 
 \s5
@@ -2092,7 +2096,7 @@
 \v 21 The descendants of Perez were these:
 \q1 Through Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites,
 \q1 through Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.
-\p
+\m
 \v 22 These were the clans of Judah's descendants, who numbered 76,500 men.
 
 \s5
@@ -2100,10 +2104,10 @@
 \v 23 The clans of Issachar's descendants were these:
 \q1 Through Tola, the clan of the Tolaites,
 \q1 through Puah, the clan of the Puites,
-\p
+\q1
 \v 24 through Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites,
 \q1 through Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.
-\p
+\m
 \v 25 These were the clans of Issachar, who numbered 64,300 men.
 
 \s5
@@ -2112,13 +2116,12 @@
 \q1 Through Sered, the clan of the Seredites,
 \q1 through Elon, the clan of the Elonites,
 \q1 through Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.
-\p
+\m
 \v 27 These were the clans of the Zebulunites, who numbered 60,500 men.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 The clans of Joseph's descendants were Manasseh and Ephraim.
-\p
 \v 29 The descendants of Manasseh were these:
 \q1 through Makir, the clan of the Makirites (Makir was Gilead's father),
 \q1 through Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.
@@ -2129,18 +2132,17 @@
 \q1 Through Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites,
 \q1 through Helek, the clan of the Helekites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 31 through Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites,
 \q1 through Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 32 through Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites,
 \q1 through Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
-\p
+\q1
+\v 33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters. 
+\q1 The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
+\m
 \v 34 These were the clans of Manasseh, who numbered 52,700 men.
 
 \s5
@@ -2161,7 +2163,6 @@
 \q1 through Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites,
 \q1 through Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 39 through Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites,
 \q1 through Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.
 \m
@@ -2181,12 +2182,10 @@
 \q1 Through Imnah, the clan of the Imnites,
 \q1 through Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites,
 \q1 through Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.
-\m
 \p
 \v 45 The descendants of Beriah were these:
 \q1 Through Heber, the clan of the Heberites,
 \q1 through Malkiel, the clan of the Malkielites.
-\m
 \p
 \v 46 The name of Asher's daughter was Serah.
 \p
@@ -2198,7 +2197,6 @@
 \q1 Through Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites,
 \q1 through Guni, the clan of the Gunites,
 \q1
-\p
 \v 49 through Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites,
 \q1 through Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites.
 \m
@@ -2233,7 +2231,8 @@
 \q1 the clan of the Mahlites,
 \q1 the clan of the Mushites,
 \q1 and the clan of the Korahites.
-\m Kohath was the Amram's ancestor.
+\b
+\p Kohath was Amram's ancestor.
 \v 59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to Levites in Egypt. She bore to Amram their children, who were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister.
 
 \s5
@@ -2466,7 +2465,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 9 But any vow of a widow or a divorced woman will stand against her.
 \v 10 If a woman made a vow in her husband's house or bound herself by a promise with an oath,
-\v 11 and her husband hears of it but he says nothing to her and he does oppose her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself will stand.
+\v 11 and her husband hears of it but he says nothing to her and he does not oppose her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself will stand.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 But if her husband cancels them on the day that he heard about them, then whatever came out of her lips about her vows or promises will not stand. Her husband has canceled them, and Yahweh will forgive her.
@@ -2529,7 +2528,7 @@
 \p
 \v 25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
 \v 26 "You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the community's ancestral clans are to count all the plundered things that were captured, both men and animals. 
-\v 27 must divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community.
+\v 27 Divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats.
@@ -2548,7 +2547,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 36 The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep,
-\v 37 The tax for Yahweh of the sheep was 675.
+\v 37 and the tax for Yahweh of the sheep was 675.
 \p
 \v 38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, from which the tax for Yahweh was seventy-two.
 
@@ -2733,7 +2732,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 38 Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at Yahweh's command and died there in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
-\v 39 Aaron was a 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
+\v 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2814,9 +2813,9 @@
 \q1 From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.
 \q1
 \v 20 From the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud.
-\q1
 
 \s5
+\q1
 \v 21 From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon.
 \q1
 \v 22 From of the tribe of the descendants of Dan a leader, Bukki son of Jogli.
@@ -2871,7 +2870,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 You must provide three cities beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge.
-\v 15 For the people of Israel, for the foreigners, for anyone living among you, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.
+\v 15 For the people of Israel, for the foreigner, and for the sojourner, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2891,17 +2890,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 In that case, the community must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood on the basis of these rules.
-\v 25 The community must rescue the accused from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil.
+\v 25 The community must rescue the killer from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 But if the killer at any time goes beyond the border of the city of refuge to which he fled,
-\v 27 and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the accused man, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder.
-\v 28 This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the accused may return to the land where he has his own property.
+\v 27 and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the killer, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder.
+\v 28 This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the killer may return to the land where he has his own property.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 These laws must be statutes for you through all your people's generations in all the places where you live.
-\v 30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness' word alone may not cause any person to be put to death.
+\v 30 Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness's word alone may not cause any person to be put to death.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Also, you must not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of murder. He must certainly be put to death.
@@ -2924,7 +2923,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 So Moses gave a command to the people of Israel, at Yahweh's word. He said, "What the tribe of Joseph's descendants says is right.
-\v 6 This is what Yahweh commands concerning Zelophehad's daughters. He says, 'Let them be married to whom they think best, but they must marry only within the tribe of their father.'
+\v 6 This is what Yahweh commands concerning Zelophehad's daughters. He says, 'Let them be married to whom they think best, but they must marry only within the clan of the tribe of their father.'
 
 \s5
 \v 7 No possession of the people of Israel must change from one tribe to another. Each one of the people of Israel must continue with the possession of his ancestor's tribe.

05-DEU.usfm

@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 "This land that we took in possession at that time—from Aroer, that is by the Valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead, and its cities—I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
-\v 13 The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, and all Bashan. The same territory is called the land of Rephaim.
+\v 13 The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob in Bashan was called the land of Rephaim.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took all the region of Argob to the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites. He called the region, even Bashan, by his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.)
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Only pay attention and carefully guard yourself, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not leave your heart for all the days of your life. Instead, make them known to your children and your children's children.
+\v 9 Only pay attention and carefully guard yourself, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not leave your heart for all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children.
 \v 10 On the day that you stood before Yahweh your God at Horeb, when Yahweh said to me, 'Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'
 
 \s5
@@ -276,8 +276,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 So take great heed to yourselves—for you saw no kind of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb out of the middle of the fire—
-\v 16 that you do not corrupt yourselves and by making a carved image in the form of any figure, in the likeness of male or female,
+\v 15 So watch yourselves carefully—for you saw no kind of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb out of the middle of the fire—
+\v 16 that you do not corrupt yourselves by making a carved image in the form of any figure, in the likeness of male or female,
 \v 17 the likeness of any animal on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens,
 \v 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.
 
@@ -286,8 +286,8 @@
 \v 20 But Yahweh has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of his own inheritance, as you are today.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go into that good land, the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance.
-\v 22 Instead, I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan; but you will go over and possess that good land.
+\v 21 Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he swore that I would not go over the Jordan, and that I would not go into the good land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance.
+\v 22 Rather, I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you will go over and possess that good land.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Pay attention to yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything that Yahweh your God has forbidden you to make.
@@ -574,7 +574,7 @@
 \v 17 but you may say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand acquired all this wealth.'
 
 \s5
-\v 18 But you will call to mind Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is today.
+\v 18 But you will call to mind Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is today.
 \v 19 It will happen that, if you will forget Yahweh your God and walk after other gods, worship them, and reverence them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.
 \v 20 Like the nations that Yahweh is making to perish before you, so will you perish, because you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.
 
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and no longer stiffen your necks.
-\v 17 For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of masters, the great God, the mighty one and the fearsome one, who favors no one and takes no bribes.
+\v 17 For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the Great God, the Mighty One and the Fearsome One, who favors no one and takes no bribes.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and he shows love for the foreigner by giving him food and clothing.
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@
 \v 9 for you have not yet come to the rest, to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, and he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you live in safety.
+\v 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, he will give you rest from all your enemies round about so that you live in safety.
 \v 11 Then to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to cause his name to live there—there you will bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, and all your choice offerings for vows that you will vow to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -799,11 +799,11 @@
 \v 16 But you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out on the earth like water.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 You may not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you may not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand.
+\v 17 You must not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you must not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand.
 
 \s5
 \v 18 Instead, you will eat them before Yahweh your God in the place that Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God about everything to which you put your hand.
-\v 19 Pay attention to yourself so that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live on your land.
+\v 19 Pay attention to yourself so that you do not abandon the Levite as long as you live on your land.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -848,8 +848,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Suppose that your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is to you like your own soul, secretly entices you and says, 'Let us go and worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors—
-\v 7 any of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.'
+\v 6 Suppose that your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is to you like your own soul, secretly entices you and says, 'Let us go and worship other gods' which you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors—
+\v 7 any of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, near to you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.'
 
 \s5
 \v 8 You must not give in to him or listen to him, and you must not permit your eye to pity him, and you must not spare him or conceal him.
@@ -929,7 +929,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 There you will spend the money for whatever you desire: cattle, sheep, wine or strong drink, or for whatever you desire. Then you will eat there before Yahweh your God and rejoice, you and your household.
-\v 27 The Levite who is within your gates—do not forsake him, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
+\v 27 The Levite who is within your gates—do not abandon him, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -995,7 +995,7 @@
 \v 4 No yeast must be seen among you within all your borders during seven days; nor must any of the meat that you sacrifice in the evening on the first day remain until the morning.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you.
+\v 5 You must not sacrifice the Passover within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you.
 \v 6 Instead, sacrifice at the place where Yahweh your God will choose to make a dwelling for his name. There you will perform the sacrifice of the Passover in the evening at the going down of the sun, at the time of year that you came out of Egypt.
 
 \s5
@@ -1020,8 +1020,8 @@
 \v 15 For seven days you must observe the festival for Yahweh your God at the place that Yahweh will choose, because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your harvest and all the work of your hands, and you must be completely joyful.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Three times in a year all your males must appear before Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Shelters. No one will appear before Yahweh empty-handed;
-\v 17 instead, every man will bring a gift as he is able, that you might know the blessing that Yahweh your God has given to you.
+\v 16 Three times in a year all your males must appear before Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Shelters. No one will appear before Yahweh empty-handed.
+\v 17 Rather, every man will bring a gift as he is able, that you might know the blessing that Yahweh your God has given to you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1066,7 +1066,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 When you have come to the land that Yahweh your God gives you, and when you take possession of it and begin to live in it, and then you say, 'I will set a king over myself, like all the nations that are round about me,'
-\v 15 then you must surely set as king over yourself someone whom Yahweh your God will choose. You must set as king over yourself someone from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner, who is not your brother, over yourself.
+\v 15 then you must surely set as king over yourself someone whom Yahweh your God will choose. You must set as king over yourself someone from among your brothers. You must not put a foreigner, who is not your brother, over yourself.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 But he must not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt so that he may multiply horses, for Yahweh had said to you, 'You will never return that way again.'
@@ -1195,10 +1195,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 When you march up to attack a city, make those people an offer of peace.
-\v 11 If they answer peace and open their gates to you, all the people who are found in it must become forced labor for you and must serve you.
+\v 11 If they answer peaceably and open their gates to you, all the people who are found in it must become forced labor for you and must serve you.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 But if it makes no offer of peace to you, but instead makes war against you, then you must besiege it,
+\v 12 But if it makes no offer of peace to you, and instead makes war against you, then you must besiege it,
 \v 13 and when Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, you must strike every man in the town with the edge of the sword.
 
 \s5
@@ -1206,9 +1206,9 @@
 \v 15 You must act in this way toward all the cities that are very far from you, cities that are not of the cities of these following nations.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 In the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must save alive nothing that breathes.
-\v 17 Instead, you must completely destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you.
-\v 18 Do this so that they do not teach you to act in any of their abominable ways, as they have done with their gods. If you do, you will sin against Yahweh your God.
+\v 16 In the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must keep alive nothing that breathes.
+\v 17 You must completely destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you.
+\v 18 Do this so that they do not teach you to act in any of their abominable ways, as they have done for their gods. If you do, you will sin against Yahweh your God.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1250,7 +1250,7 @@
 \p
 \v 15 If a man has two wives and one is loved and the other is hated, and they have both borne him children—both the beloved wife and the hated wife—if the firstborn son is of her that is hated,
 \v 16 then on the day that the man causes his sons to inherit what he possesses, he may not make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn before the son of the hated wife, the son who is actually the firstborn.
-\v 17 Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he possesses; for that son is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.
+\v 17 Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he possesses, for that son is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
-\v 23 then his body must not remain all night on the tree. Instead, you must surely bury him the same day; for whoever is hanged is cursed by God. Obey this commandment so that you do not defile the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.
+\v 23 then his body must not remain all night on the tree. You must surely bury him the same day; for whoever is hanged is cursed by God. You must not defile the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.
 
 \s5
 \c 22
@@ -1425,7 +1425,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 Take heed regarding any plague of leprosy, so that you carefully observe and follow every instruction given to you which the priests, the Levites, teach you; as I commanded them, so you will act.
+\v 8 Be careful regarding any plague of leprosy, so that you carefully observe and follow every instruction given to you which the priests, the Levites, teach you; as I commanded them, so you will act.
 \v 9 Call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Miriam as you were coming out of Egypt.
 
 \s5
@@ -1439,17 +1439,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 You must not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your fellow Israelites, or of the foreigners who are in your land within your city gates;
+\v 14 You must not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your fellow Israelites or of the foreigners who are in your land within your city gates.
 \v 15 Each day you must give him his wage; the sun must not go down on this unsettled matter, for he is poor and is counting on it. Do this so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, and so that it not be a sin that you have committed.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The parents must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Instead, everyone must be put to death for his own sin.
+\v 16 The parents must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Everyone must be put to death for his own sin.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 You must not use force to take away the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless, nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge.
-\v 18 Instead, you must call to mind that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God rescued you from there. Therefore I instruct you to obey this command.
+\v 17 You must not twist the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless, nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge.
+\v 18 Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God rescued you from there. Therefore I instruct you to obey this command.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1554,7 +1554,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people and said, "Keep all the commandments that I command you today.
 \v 2 On the day when you will pass over the Jordan to the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must set up some large stones and plaster them with plaster.
-\v 3 You must write on them all the words of this law when you have passed over; that you may go into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
+\v 3 You must write on them all the words of this law when you have passed over, so that you may go into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 When you have passed over the Jordan, set up these stones that I am commanding you about today, on Mount Ebal, and plaster them with plaster.
@@ -1662,11 +1662,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Yahweh will send on you curses, confusion, and rebukes in all that you put your hand to, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly because of the evil of your deeds by which you will have forsaken me.
+\v 20 Yahweh will send on you curses, confusion, and rebukes in all that you put your hand to, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly because of the evil of your deeds by which you will have abandoned me.
 \v 21 Yahweh will make the plague cling to you until he destroys you from off the land that you are going in to possess.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Yahweh will attack you with infectious diseases, with fever, with inflammation, and with drought and blistering heat, and with scorching winds and mildew. These will pursue you until you perish.
+\v 22 Yahweh will attack you with infectious diseases, with fever, with inflammation, with drought, with sword, with scorching winds, and with mildew. These will pursue you until you perish.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Your skies that are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron.
@@ -1684,7 +1684,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 You will betroth a woman, but another man will seize her and rape her. You will build a house but not live in it; you will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit.
-\v 31 Your ox will be slain before your eyes, but you will not eat its meat; your donkey will be forcibly taken away from before you and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to deliver you.
+\v 31 Your ox will be killed before your eyes, but you will not eat its meat; your donkey will be forcibly taken away from before you and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to deliver you.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 Your sons and your daughters will be given to other peoples; your eyes will look for them the entire day, but will fail with longing for them. There will be no strength in your hand.
@@ -1753,12 +1753,12 @@
 \v 64 Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; there you will worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, gods of wood and stone.
 
 \s5
-\v 65 Among these nations will you find no ease, and there will be no rest for the bottoms of your feet; instead, Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a soul that mourns.
-\v 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will fear every night and day and will have no certainty at all in your life.
+\v 65 Among these nations will you find no ease, and there will be no rest for the bottoms of your feet; Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a soul that mourns.
+\v 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; night and day you will be afraid and will have no assurance of your life.
 
 \s5
 \v 67 In the morning you will say, 'I wish it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'I wish it were morning!' because of the fear in your hearts and the things your eyes will have to see.
-\v 68 Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again by ships, by the route about which I had said to you, 'You will not see Egypt again.' There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will purchase you."
+\v 68 Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again by ships, by the route about which I had said to you, 'You will not see Egypt again.' There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male slaves and female slaves, but no one will purchase you."
 
 \s5
 \c 29
@@ -1802,7 +1802,7 @@
 \v 19 When that person hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself in his heart and say, 'I will have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This would destroy the wet together with the dry.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 Yahweh will not pardon him, but instead, the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smolder against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book will come on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven.
+\v 20 Yahweh will not pardon him. Instead, the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smolder against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book will come on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven.
 \v 21 Yahweh will set him apart for disaster out of all the tribes of Israel, in keeping with all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law.
 
 \s5
@@ -1826,7 +1826,7 @@
 \c 30
 \p
 \v 1 When all these things have come on you, the blessings and the curses that I have set before you, and when you call them to mind among all the other nations where Yahweh your God has banished you,
-\v 2 and when you return to Yahweh your God and obey his voice, following all that I am commanding you today— you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul,
+\v 2 and when you return to Yahweh your God and obey his voice, following all that I am commanding you today—you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul,
 \v 3 then Yahweh your God will reverse your captivity and have compassion on you; he will return and gather you from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has scattered you.
 
 \s5
@@ -1857,8 +1857,8 @@
 \v 16 If you obey the decrees of Yahweh your God, in which I am commanding you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, you will live and multiply, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 But if your heart turns away, and you do not listen but instead are drawn away and bow down to other gods and worship them,
-\v 18 then I announce to you today that you will surely perish; you will not prolong your days in the land that you are passing over the Jordan to go into and possess.
+\v 17 But if your heart turns away, and you do not listen and are drawn away and bow down to other gods and worship them,
+\v 18 then I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you will not prolong your days in the land that you are passing over the Jordan to go into and possess.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life so that you may live, you and your descendants.
@@ -1874,7 +1874,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which he destroyed.
 \v 5 Yahweh will deliver them over to you, and you will do to them according to all that I commanded you.
-\v 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, and do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, he it is who goes with you; he will not fail you nor forsake you."
+\v 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, and do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, he it is who goes with you; he will not fail you nor abandon you."
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh has sworn to their ancestors to give them; you will cause them to inherit it.
@@ -1896,11 +1896,11 @@
 \v 15 Yahweh appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, you will lie down with your fathers; this people will rise up and act like a prostitute going after the strange gods that are among them in the land where they are going. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.
+\v 16 Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, you will lie down with your fathers; this people will rise up and act like a prostitute going after the strange gods that are among them in the land where they are going. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Then, on that day, my anger will be kindled against them and I will abandon them. I will hide my face from them and they will be devoured. Many disasters and troubles will find them so that they will say on that day, 'Have these disasters not come upon us because our God is not in our midst?'
-\v 18 I will surely hide my face from them on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, because they has turned to other gods.
+\v 18 I will surely hide my face from them on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, because they will have turned to other gods.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Now therefore write this song for yourselves and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.
@@ -1932,240 +1932,254 @@
 \c 32
 \q
 \v 1 Give ear, you heavens, and let me speak.
-\q Let the earth listen to the words of my mouth.
+\q2 Let the earth listen to the words of my mouth.
 \q
 \v 2 Let my teaching drop down like the rain,
-\q let my speech distill like the dew,
+\q2 let my speech distill like the dew,
 \q like the gentle rain on the tender grass,
-\q and like the showers on the plants.
+\q2 and like the showers on the plants.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh,
-\q and ascribe greatness to our God.
+\q2 and ascribe greatness to our God.
 \q
 \v 4 The Rock, his work is perfect;
-\q for all his paths are just.
+\q2 for all his paths are just.
 \q He is the faithful God, without iniquity.
-\q He is just and upright.
+\q2 He is just and upright.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 They have acted corruptly against him.
-\q They are not his children. It is their disgrace.
-\q They are a perverted and crooked generation.
+\q2 They are not his children. It is their disgrace.
+\q2 They are a perverted and crooked generation.
 \q
 \v 6 Do you reward Yahweh in this way,
-\q you foolish and unwise people?
+\q2 you foolish and unwise people?
 \q Is he not your Father, the one who has created you?
-\q He made you and established you.
+\q2 He made you and established you.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 Call to mind the days of ancient times,
-\q think about the years of generations past.
+\q2 think about the years of generations past.
 \q Ask your father and he will show you,
-\q your elders and they will tell you.
+\q2 your elders and they will tell you.
 \q
 \v 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance—
-\q when he divided all of mankind,
-\q and he set the boundaries of the peoples
-\q according to the number of the children of Israel.
+\q2 when he divided all of mankind,
+\q he set the boundaries of the peoples
+\q2 according to the number of the children of Israel.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 For Yahweh's portion is his people;
-\q Jacob is his apportioned inheritance.
+\q2 Jacob is his apportioned inheritance.
 \q
 \v 10 He found him in a desert land,
-\q and in the barren and howling wilderness;
+\q2 and in the barren and howling wilderness;
 \q he shielded him and cared for him,
-\q he guarded him as the apple of his eye.
+\q2 he guarded him as the apple of his eye.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 As an eagle that guards her nest
-\q and flutters over her young,
+\q2 and flutters over her young,
 \q Yahweh spread out his wings and took them,
-\q and carried them on his pinions.
+\q2 and carried them on his pinions.
 \q
 \v 12 Yahweh alone led him;
-\q no foreign god was with him.
+\q2 no foreign god was with him.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 He made him ride on high places of the land,
-\q and he fed him the fruits of the field;
+\q2 and he fed him the fruits of the field;
 \q he nourished him with honey from the rock,
-\q and oil from the flinty crag.
+\q2 and oil from the flinty crag.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 He ate butter from the herd and drank milk from the flock,
-\q with fat of lambs,
+\q2 with fat of lambs,
 \q rams of Bashan and goats,
-\q with the finest of the wheat—
+\q2 with the finest of the wheat—
 \q and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of grapes.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—
-\q you grew fat, you were too fat, and you had eaten your fill—
+\q2 you grew fat, you were too fat, and you had eaten your fill—
 \q he abandoned the God who made him,
-\q and he rejected the Rock of his salvation.
+\q2 and he rejected the Rock of his salvation.
 \q
 \v 16 They made Yahweh jealous by their strange gods;
-\q with their abominations they angered him.
+\q2 with their abominations they angered him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—
-\q gods they had not known,
-\q gods that recently appeared,
-\q gods your fathers did not fear.
+\q2 gods they had not known,
+\q2 gods that recently appeared,
+\q2 gods your fathers did not fear.
 \q
 \v 18 You have deserted the Rock, who became your father,
-\q and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
+\q2 and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 Yahweh saw this and he rejected them,
-\q because his sons and his daughters provoked him so.
+\q2 because his sons and his daughters provoked him so.
 \q
 \v 20 "I will hide my face from them," he said,
-\q "and I will see what their end will be;
+\q2 "and I will see what their end will be;
 \q for they are a perverse generation,
-\q children in whom is no faithfulness.
+\q2 children in whom is no faithfulness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 They have made me jealous by what is not god
-\q and angered me by their worthless things.
+\q2 and angered me by their worthless things.
 \q I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
-\q by a foolish nation I will make them angry.
+\q2 by a foolish nation I will make them angry.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 22 For a fire is kindled by my anger
-\q and is burning to the lowest Sheol;
+\q2 and is burning to the lowest Sheol;
 \q it is devouring the earth and its produce;
-\q it is setting on fire the foundations of the mountains.
+\q2 it is setting on fire the foundations of the mountains.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 I will heap disasters on them;
-\q I will shoot all my arrows at them;
+\q2 I will shoot all my arrows at them;
 \q
 \v 24 They will be wasted by hunger and devoured by burning heat
-\q and bitter destruction;
+\q2 and bitter destruction;
 \q I will send on them the teeth of wild animals,
-\q with the poison of things that crawl in the dust.
+\q2 with the poison of things that crawl in the dust.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 25 Outside the sword will bereave,
-\q and in the bedrooms terror will do so.
+\q2 and in the bedrooms terror will do so.
 \q It will destroy both young man and virgin,
-\q the nursing baby, and the man of gray hairs.
+\q2 the nursing baby, and the man of gray hairs.
 \q
 \v 26 I said that I would scatter them far away,
-\q that I would make the memory of them to cease from among mankind.
+\q2 that I would make the memory of them to cease from among mankind.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 27 Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,
-\q and that their enemies would judge mistakenly,
+\q2 and that their enemies would judge mistakenly,
 \q and that they would say, 'Our hand is exalted,'
-\q I would have done all this.
+\q2 I would have done all this.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 28 For Israel is a nation devoid of counsel,
-\q and there is no understanding in them.
+\q2 and there is no understanding in them.
 \q
 \v 29 Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,
-\q that they would consider their coming fate!
+\q2 that they would consider their coming fate!
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 30 How could one chase a thousand,
-\q and two put ten thousand to flight,
+\q2 and two put ten thousand to flight,
 \q unless their Rock had sold them,
-\q and Yahweh had given them up?
+\q2 and Yahweh had given them up?
 \q
 \v 31 For our enemies' rock is not like our Rock,
-\q just as even our enemies have concluded.
+\q2 just as even our enemies have concluded.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom,
-\q and from the fields of Gomorrah;
+\q2 and from the fields of Gomorrah;
 \q their grapes are grapes of poison;
-\q their clusters are bitter.
+\q2 their clusters are bitter.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 33 Their wine is the poison of serpents
-\q and the cruel venom of asps.
+\q2 and the cruel venom of asps.
 \q
 \v 34 Is not this plan secretly kept by me,
-\q sealed up among my treasures?
+\q2 sealed up among my treasures?
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 35 Vengeance is mine to give, and recompense,
-\q at the time when their foot slips;
+\q2 at the time when their foot slips;
 \q for the day of disaster for them is near,
-\q and the things that are to come on them will hurry to happen."
+\q2 and the things that are to come on them will hurry to happen."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 36 For Yahweh will give justice to his people,
-\q and he will pity his servants.
+\q2 and he will pity his servants.
 \q He will see that their power is gone,
-\q and no one remains, either slaves or free people.
+\q2 and no one remains, either slaves or free people.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 37 Then he will say, "Where are their gods,
-\q the rock in whom they took refuge,
+\q2 the rock in whom they took refuge,
 \q
 \v 38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
-\q and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
+\q2 and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
 \q Let them rise up and help you;
-\q let them be your protection.
+\q2 let them be your protection.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 39 See now that I, even I, am God,
-\q and that there is no god besides me;
+\q2 and that there is no god besides me;
 \q I kill, and I make alive;
-\q I wound, and I heal,
-\q and there is no one who can save you from my might.
+\q2 I wound, and I heal,
+\q2 and there is no one who can save you from my might.
 \q
 \v 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven
-\q and say, 'As I live forever, I will act.
+\q2 and say, 'As I live forever, I will act.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 41 When I sharpen my glittering sword,
-\q and when my hand begins to bring justice,
+\q2 and when my hand begins to bring justice,
 \q I will render vengeance on my enemies,
-\q and I will pay back those who hate me.
+\q2 and I will pay back those who hate me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
-\q and my sword will devour flesh
+\q2 and my sword will devour flesh
 \q with the blood of the killed and the captives,
-\q and from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.'"
+\q2 and from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.'"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 43 Rejoice, you nations, with God's people,
-\q for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
+\q2 for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
 \q he will render vengeance on his enemies,
-\q and he will make atonement for his land, for his people.
+\q2 and he will make atonement for his land, for his people.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2192,181 +2206,193 @@
 \v 1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death.
 \v 2 He said:
 \q Yahweh came from Sinai
-\q and rose from Seir upon them.
+\q2 and rose from Seir upon them.
 \q He shined out from Mount Paran,
-\q and he came with ten thousands of holy ones.
-\q In his right hand were flashes of lightning.
+\q2 and he came with ten thousands of holy ones.
+\q2 In his right hand were flashes of lightning.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Indeed, he loves the peoples;
-\q all his holy people are in your hand,
+\q2 all his holy people are in your hand,
 \q and they bowed down at your feet;
-\q they received your words.
+\q2 they received your words.
 \q
 \v 4 Moses commanded us a law,
-\q an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
+\q2 an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Then there was a king in Jeshurun,
-\q when the heads of the people had gathered,
-\q all the tribes of Israel together.
+\q2 when the heads of the people had gathered,
+\q2 all the tribes of Israel together.
 \q
 \v 6 Let Reuben live and not die,
-\q but may his men be few.
+\q2 but may his men be few.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 This is the blessing for Judah. Moses said:
 \q Listen, Yahweh, to the voice of Judah,
-\q and bring him to his people again.
+\q2 and bring him to his people again.
 \q Fight for him;
-\q be a help against his enemies.
+\q2 be a help against his enemies.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 About Levi, Moses said:
 \q Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful one,
-\q the one whom you tested at Massah,
-\q with whom you struggled at the waters of Meribah.
+\q2 the one whom you tested at Massah,
+\q1 with whom you struggled at the waters of Meribah,
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 9 The man who said about his father and mother, "I have not seen them."
+\q2
+\v 9 who said about his father and mother, "I have not seen them."
 \q Neither did he acknowledge his brothers,
-\q nor did he take account of his own children.
+\q2 nor did he take account of his own children.
 \q For he guarded your word
-\q and kept your covenant.
+\q2 and kept your covenant.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 He teaches Jacob your decrees
-\q and Israel your law.
+\q2 and Israel your law.
 \q He will put incense before you
-\q and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
+\q2 and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Bless, Yahweh, his possessions,
-\q and accept the work of his hands.
+\q2 and accept the work of his hands.
 \q Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,
-\q and those of the people who hate him, so that they do not rise up again.
+\q2 and those of the people who hate him, so that they do not rise up again.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 About Benjamin, Moses said:
 \q The one loved by Yahweh lives in security beside him;
-\q Yahweh shields him all the day long,
-\q and he lives between Yahweh's arms.
+\q2 Yahweh shields him all the day long,
+\q2 and he lives between Yahweh's arms.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 About Joseph, Moses said:
 \q May his land be blessed by Yahweh
-\q with the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
-\q and with the deep that lies beneath.
+\q2 with the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
+\q2 and with the deep that lies beneath.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 May his land be blessed with the precious things of the harvest of the sun,
-\q with the precious things of the produce of the months,
+\q2 with the precious things of the produce of the months,
 \q
 \v 15 with the finest things of the ancient mountains,
-\q and with the precious things of the everlasting hills.
+\q2 and with the precious things of the everlasting hills.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 May his land be blessed with the precious things of the earth and its abundance,
-\q and with the good will of him who was in the bush.
+\q2 and with the good will of him who was in the bush.
 \q Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,
-\q and on the top of the head of him who was prince over his brothers.
+\q2 and on the top of the head of him who was prince over his brothers.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 The firstborn of an ox, majestic is he,
-\q and his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
-\q With them he will push the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth.
+\q2 and his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
+\q With them he will push the peoples,
+\q2 all of them, to the ends of the earth.
 \q These are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
-\q these are the thousands of Manasseh.
+\q2 these are the thousands of Manasseh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 About Zebulun, Moses said:
 \q Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
-\q and you, Issachar, in your tents.
+\q2 and you, Issachar, in your tents.
 \q
 \v 19 They will call the peoples to the mountains.
-\q There will they offer sacrifices of righteousness.
+\q2 There will they offer sacrifices of righteousness.
 \q For they will suck the abundance of the seas,
-\q and from the sand on the seashore.
+\q2 and from the sand on the seashore.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 About Gad, Moses said:
 \q Blessed be he who enlarges Gad.
-\q He will live there like a lioness,
-\q and he will tear off an arm or a head.
+\q2 He will live there like a lioness,
+\q2 and he will tear off an arm or a head.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 He provided the best part for himself,
-\q for there was the leader's portion of land reserved.
+\q2 for there was the leader's portion of land reserved.
 \q He came with the heads of the people.
-\q He carried out the justice of Yahweh
-\q and his decrees with Israel.
+\q2 He carried out the justice of Yahweh
+\q2 and his decrees with Israel.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 About Dan, Moses said:
 \q Dan is a lion cub
-\q that leaps out from Bashan.
+\q2 that leaps out from Bashan.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 About Naphtali, Moses said:
 \q Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
-\q and full of the blessing of Yahweh,
-\q take possession of the land to the west and south.
+\q2 and full of the blessing of Yahweh,
+\q2 take possession of the land to the west and south.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 About Asher, Moses said:
 \q Blessed be Asher more than the other sons;
-\q let him be acceptable to his brothers,
-\q and let him dip his foot in olive oil.
+\q2 let him be acceptable to his brothers,
+\q2 and let him dip his foot in olive oil.
 \q
 \v 25 May your city bars be iron and bronze;
-\q as long as will be your days, so long will your security be.
+\q2 as long as will be your days, so long will your security be.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 26 There is no one like God, Jeshurun—the upright one,
-\q who rides through the heavens to your help,
-\q and in his majesty on the clouds.
+\v 26 There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
+\q2 who rides through the heavens to your help,
+\q2 and in his majesty on the clouds.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 27 The eternal God is a refuge,
-\q and underneath are the everlasting arms.
+\q2 and underneath are the everlasting arms.
 \q He thrust out the enemy from before you,
-\q and he said, "Destroy!"
+\q2 and he said, "Destroy!"
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 28 Israel dwelt in safety.
-\q Jacob's spring was secure
+\q2 Jacob's spring was secure
 \q in a land of grain and new wine;
-\q indeed, let his heavens drop dew on him.
+\q2 indeed, let his heavens drop dew on him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 29 Your blessings are many, Israel!
-\q Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,
+\q2 Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,
 \q the shield of your help,
-\q and the sword of your majesty?
+\q2 and the sword of your majesty?
 \q Your enemies will come trembling to you;
-\q you will trample down their high places.
+\q2 you will trample down their high places.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \c 34

06-JOS.usfm

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's chief assistant, saying,
+\v 1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' chief assistant, saying,
 \v 2 "Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore, arise, cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them—to the people of Israel.
 \v 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will walk. I have given it to you, just as I promised to Moses.
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 \v 9 She said, "I know that Yahweh has given you the land and that the fear of you has come upon us. All those who live in the land will melt away before you.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on other side of the Jordan—Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed.
+\v 10 We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan—Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed.
 \v 11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted and there was no courage left in anyone—for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
 
 \s5
@@ -123,16 +123,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each.
-\v 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests that carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and even the waters that flow down from upstream will stop flowing and they will stand in one heap."
+\v 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and even the waters that flow down from upstream will stop flowing and they will stand in one heap."
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests that carried the ark of the covenant went ahead of the people.
+\v 14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests who carried the ark of the covenant went ahead of the people.
 \v 15 As soon as those who were carrying the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who carried the chest were dipped in the edge of the water—now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of the harvest—
 \v 16 the waters that flowed down from upstream stood up in one heap. The water stopped flowing from a great distance. The waters stopped flowing from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, all the way down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea. The people crossed over near Jericho.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 The priests that carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people of Israel crossed over on dry ground.
+\v 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people of Israel crossed over on dry ground.
 
 \s5
 \c 4
@@ -152,16 +152,16 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 The people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded, and they picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh said to Joshua. They set the stones up according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. They carried the stones with them, over to the place where they camped and they set them down there.
-\v 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests that carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is there to this day.
+\v 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is there to this day.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 The priests that carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over.
+\v 10 The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over.
 \v 11 When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before the people.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed before the people of Israel formed up as an army, just as Moses said to them.
 \v 13 About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on the plains of Jericho.
-\v 14 On that day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses— all his days.
+\v 14 On that day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses—all his days.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -179,14 +179,14 @@
 \v 21 He said to the people of Israel, "When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?'
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.'
+\v 22 tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.'
 \v 23 Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you had crossed over, just as Yahweh your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up for us until we passed over,
 \v 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, and that you will honor Yahweh your God forever."
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 \p
-\v 1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were along the coast of the Great Sea, heard that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan until the people of Israel had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa until the people of Israel had crossed over, \fqa* and others have, \fqa until we had crossed over \fqa* . The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa we, \fqa* but a note in the margin instructs readers to say \fqa they \fqa* . \f*
+\v 1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were along the coast of the Great Sea, heard that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan until the people of Israel had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa until the people of Israel had crossed over, \fqa* and others have, \fqa until we had crossed over \fqa* . The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa we, \fqa* but a note in their margin instructs readers to say \fqa they \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@
 \v 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw the ambush had captured the city with the smoke rising, they turned around and killed the men of Ai.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 The other came out from the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israel in the middle, some on this side and some on that side. Israel attacked the men of Ai; none remained of those who survived or escaped.
+\v 22 The others came out from the city against them, so that they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. Israel attacked the men of Ai; none remained of those who survived or escaped.
 \v 23 They kept the king of Ai, whom they captured alive, and they brought him to Joshua.
 
 \s5
@@ -504,15 +504,19 @@
 \p
 \v 12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh on the day Yahweh gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites. This is what Joshua said to Yahweh before Israel,
 \q "Sun, be still at Gibeon,
-\q and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
+\q2 and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 The sun stood still, and the moon stopped moving
-\q until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
+\v 13 The sun stood still, 
+\q2 and the moon stopped moving
+\q until the nation took vengeance 
+\q2 on their enemies.
 \p Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?
-\q The sun stayed in the middle of the sky;
-\q it did not go down for about a whole day.
+\q The sun stayed 
+\q2 in the middle of the sky;
+\q it did not go down 
+\q2 for about a whole day.
 \p
 \v 14 There has been no other day like it before or after it, when Yahweh obeyed the voice of a human being. For Yahweh was waging war on behalf of Israel.
 
@@ -627,7 +631,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 18 Joshua waged war for a long time with all the kings.
 \v 19 Not one city made peace with the army of Israel except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Israel captured all the rest of the cities in battle.
-\v 20 For it was Yahweh who hardened their hearts so they would wage war against Israel, so that he might completely destroy them without mercy, just as he had instructed Moses.
+\v 20 For it was Yahweh who hardened their hearts so they would wage war against Israel, so that they might be devoted to destruction without mercy, just as he had instructed Moses.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -649,7 +653,7 @@
 \v 3 Sihon also ruled over the Arabah to the Sea of Kinnereth, to the east, to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) eastward, all the way to Beth Jeshimoth and southward, toward the foot of the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
 \q
 \v 4 Og, king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
-\v 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, and all Bashan, to the border of the people of Geshur and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon.
+\v 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, and all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites, and half of Gilead, to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -692,30 +696,30 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 2 This is the land that still remains: All the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites,
-\v 3 from Shihor, which is east of Egypt, and northward to the border of Ekron, which is considered property of the Canaanites; the five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron—the territory of the Avvites.
+\v 3 from Shihor, which is east of Egypt, and northward to the border of Ekron, which is considered property of the Canaanites; the five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites
 
 \s5
-\v 4 In the south (the territory of the Avvites); all the lands of the Canaanites, from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek which is on the border of the Amorites;
+\v 4 in the south; all the lands of the Canaanites, from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek which is on the border of the Amorites;
 \v 5 the land of Byblos,\f + \ft Some modern English translations read, \fqa land of Gebalites \fqa* . \f* all of Lebanon toward the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Also, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim, including all the people of Sidon. I will drive them out before the army of Israel. Be sure to assign the land to Israel as an inheritance, as I commanded you.
+\v 6 Also, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim, including all the people of Sidon—I will drive them out before the army of Israel. Be sure to assign the land to Israel as an inheritance, as I commanded you.
 \v 7 Divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Manasseh."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received their inheritance that Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave them on the east side of the Jordan,
 \p
-\v 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon river gorge (including the city that is in the middle of the gorge), to all the plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon;
+\v 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon River gorge (including the city that is in the middle of the gorge), to all the plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon;
 
 \s5
 \v 10 all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites;
-\v 11 Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, all Bashan to Salekah;
+\v 11 Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maakathites, all of Mount Hermon, all Bashan to Salekah;
 \v 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei—these are what was left of the remnant of the Rephaim—Moses struck them and drove them out.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 But the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. Instead, Geshur and Maacath live among Israel to this day.
+\v 13 But the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maakathites, and so Geshur and Maakah live in the midst of Israel to this day.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -984,7 +988,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Then the descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one assignment of land and one portion for an inheritance, since we are a people great in number, and all along Yahweh has blessed us?"
+\v 14 Then the descendants of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one assignment of land and one portion for an inheritance, since we are a people great in number, and all along Yahweh has blessed us?"
 \v 15 Joshua said to them, "If you are a people great in number, go up by yourselves to the forest and there clear the ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim. Do this, since the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you."
 
 \s5
@@ -1007,7 +1011,7 @@
 \v 6 You will describe the land in seven sections and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance, beyond Jordan. This is the inheritance that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them."
+\v 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance, beyond the Jordan. This is the inheritance that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1019,7 +1023,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 The assignment of land for the tribe of Benjamin clan by clan. The territory of their assigned land was located between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph.
+\v 11 The assignment of land for the tribe of Benjamin came up clan by clan. The territory of their assigned land was located between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph.
 \v 12 On the north side, their border began at the Jordan. The border went up to the ridge north of Jericho, and then up through the hill country westward. There it reached the wilderness of Beth Aven.
 
 \s5
@@ -1040,7 +1044,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had these cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
+\v 21 Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
 \v 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
 \v 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
 \v 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve cities, including their villages.
@@ -1067,7 +1071,7 @@
 \v 7 Simeon also had Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. These were four cities, including their villages.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 These were together, including their the villages around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (the same as Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan.
+\v 8 These were together, including the villages around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (the same as Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan.
 \v 9 The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon formed part of the territory of the tribe of Judah. Because the portion of land assigned to the tribe of Judah was too large for them, the tribe of Simeon received their inheritance out of the middle of their portion.
 
 \s5
@@ -1076,7 +1080,7 @@
 \v 11 Their border went up westward toward Maralah and touched Dabbesheth; then it extended to the brook that was opposite Jokneam.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 From Sarid the border turned eastward toward the east and went to the border of Kisloth Tabor. From there it went to Daberath and then up to Japhia.
+\v 12 From Sarid the border turned eastward toward the sunrise and went to the border of Kisloth Tabor. From there it went to Daberath and then up to Japhia.
 \v 13 From there it passed on eastward to Gath Hepher, and then to Eth Kazin; next it went to Rimmon and turned toward Neah.
 
 \s5
@@ -1147,7 +1151,7 @@
 \v 46 Me Jarkon, and Rakkon along with the territory across from Joppa.
 
 \s5
-\v 47 When the territory of the tribe of Dan was lost to them, Dan attacked Leshem, fought against it, capturing it and striking it with the sword; taking possession of it and settled in it. They renamed Leshem, calling it Dan after their ancestor.
+\v 47 When the territory of the tribe of Dan was lost to them, Dan attacked Leshem and took it. They struck it with the sword, took possession of it, and settled in it. They called Leshem Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan.
 \p
 \v 48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.
 
@@ -1180,7 +1184,7 @@
 \v 8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 These were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who killed a person unintentionally could run to them for safety. This person would not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly.
+\v 9 These were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigners sojourning among them, so that anyone who killed a person unintentionally could run to them for safety. This person would not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly.
 
 \s5
 \c 21
@@ -1193,9 +1197,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 4 The casting of lots for the clans of the Kohathites gave this result: The priests—the descendants of Aaron who were from the Levites—received thirteen cities given from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of the Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
+\v 4 The casting of lots for the clans of the Kohathites gave this result: The priests—the descendants of Aaron who were from the Levites—received thirteen cities given from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.
 \p
-\v 5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants received by lot ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and from the half tribe of Manasseh.
+\v 5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants received by lot ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and from the half tribe of Manasseh.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1223,7 +1227,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 From the tribe of Benjamin were given Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,
-\v 18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its suburbs—four cities.
+\v 18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities.
 \p
 \v 19 The cities given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen cities in all, including their pasturelands.
 
@@ -1326,7 +1330,7 @@
 \v 16 "The whole assembly of Yahweh says this, 'What is this unfaithfulness that you have committed against the God of Israel, by turning this day from following Yahweh by building yourself an altar this day in rebellion against Yahweh?
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Was the iniquity of Peor not enough for us? Yet we have not even now cleansed ourselves from it. For that sin there came a plague on the assembly of Yahweh.
+\v 17 Was the iniquity of Peor not enough for us? Yet we have not even now cleansed ourselves from it. There was a plague on the assembly of Yahweh for that sin.
 \v 18 Must you also turn away from following Yahweh at this present day? If you also rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole assembly of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -1351,7 +1355,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 So we said, 'If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we would say, "Look! This is a copy of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you."
-\v 29 May it be far from us that we should rebel against Yahweh, and today turn away from following him by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering, or for sacrifice, other than the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.'"
+\v 29 May it be far from us that we should rebel against Yahweh, and today turn away from following him by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, other than the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1378,7 +1382,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 So be very strong, so that you keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,
-\v 7 so you may not mix with these nations that re23main among you or mention the names of their gods, swear by them, worship them, or bow down to them.
+\v 7 so you may not mix with these nations that remain among you or mention the names of their gods, swear by them, worship them, or bow down to them.
 \v 8 Instead, you must cling to Yahweh your God just as you have done to this day.
 
 \s5
@@ -1436,14 +1440,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The people answered and said, "We would never forsake Yahweh to serve other gods,
+\v 16 The people answered and said, "We would never abandon Yahweh to serve other gods,
 \v 17 for it is Yahweh our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight, and who preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the nations through whom we passed.
 \v 18 Then Yahweh drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship Yahweh, for he is our God."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions and sins.
-\v 20 If you forsake Yahweh and worship foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm. He will consume you, after he has done good to you."
+\v 20 If you abandon Yahweh and worship foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm. He will consume you, after he has done good to you."
 
 \s5
 \v 21 But the people said to Joshua, "No, we will worship Yahweh."

07-JDG.usfm

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The descendants of Moses's father-in-law the Kenite went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev, to live with the people of Judah near Arad.
+\v 16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law the Kenite went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev, to live with the people of Judah near Arad.
 \v 17 The men of Judah went with the men of Simeon their brothers and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and they completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.
 
 \s5
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 18 When Yahweh raised up judges for them, Yahweh helped the judges and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days the judge lived. Yahweh had pity on them as they groaned because of those who oppressed them and afflicted them.
-\v 19 But when the judge died, they would turn away and do things that were even more corrupt than their fathers had done. They would go after other gods to serve them and worship them. They refused to give up any of their evil practices or their stubborn ways.
+\v 19 But when the judge died, they would turn away and do things that were even more corrupt than their fathers had done. They would go after other gods to serve them and worship them. They refused to give up any of their evil deeds or their stubborn ways.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel; he said, "Because this nation has broken the terms of my covenant that I had set in place for their fathers—because they have not listened to my voice—
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Now Heber (the Kenite) had separated himself from the Kenites—they were the descendants of Hobab (Moses's father-in-law)—and he pitched his tent by the oak in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
+\v 11 Now Heber (the Kenite) had separated himself from the Kenites—they were the descendants of Hobab (Moses' father-in-law)—and he pitched his tent by the oak in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -262,165 +262,171 @@
 \v 1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
 \q
 \v 2 "When the leaders take the lead in Israel,
-\q when the people volunteer—
-\q praise Yahweh!
+\q2 when the people volunteer—
+\q2 praise Yahweh!
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you rulers!
-\q I, I will sing to Yahweh;
-\q I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
+\q2 I, I will sing to Yahweh;
+\q I will sing praises to Yahweh, 
+\q2 the God of Israel.
 \q
 \v 4 Yahweh, when you went out from Seir,
-\q when you marched from Edom,
+\q2 when you marched from Edom,
 \q the earth shook, and the skies also trembled;
-\q also the clouds poured down water.
+\q2 also the clouds poured down water.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh;
-\q even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
+\q2 even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, 
+\q2 the God of Israel.
 \q
 \v 6 In the days of Shamgar (son of Anath),
-\q in the days of Jael, the main roads were abandoned,
-\q and those who walked only used the winding paths.
+\q2 in the days of Jael, 
+\q the main roads were abandoned,
+\q2 and those who walked only used the winding paths.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 There were few rural people in Israel,
-\q until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
+\q2 until I, Deborah, arose—
+\q2 arose as a mother in Israel!
 \q
 \v 8 When they chose new gods,
-\q there was fighting at the city gates
+\q2 there was fighting at the city gates
 \q and yet there were no shields or spears seen
-\q among forty thousand in Israel.
+\q2 among forty thousand in Israel.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,
-\q along with the people who gladly volunteered—
-\q we bless Yahweh for them!
+\q2 along with the people who gladly volunteered—
+\q2 we bless Yahweh for them!
 \q
 \v 10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys
-\q sitting on rugs for saddles,
-\q and you who walk along the road.
+\q2 sitting on rugs for saddles,
+\q2 and you who walk along the road.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 Hear the voices of those who sing at the watering places.
+\v 11 Hear the voices of those who sing 
+\q2 at the watering places.
 \q There they tell again of Yahweh's righteous deeds,
-\q and the righteous actions of his warriors in Israel.
+\q2 and the righteous actions of his warriors in Israel.
 \q Then the people of Yahweh went down to the city gates.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Awake, awake, Deborah!
-\q Awake, awake, sing a song!
-\q Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
+\q2 Awake, awake, sing a song!
+\q Get up, Barak, 
+\q2 and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
 \q
 \v 13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
-\q the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
+\q2 the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 They came from Ephraim, whose root is in Amalek;
-\q the people of Benjamin followed you.
+\q2 the people of Benjamin followed you.
 \q From Makir commanders came down,
-\q and from Zebulun those who carry an officer's staff.
+\q2 and from Zebulun those who carry an officer's staff.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 My princes in Issachar were with Deborah;
-\q and Issachar was with Barak
-\q rushing after him into the valley under his command.
+\q2 and Issachar was with Barak
+\q2 rushing after him into the valley under his command.
 \q Among the clans of Reuben
-\q there were great searchings of heart.
+\q2 there were great searchings of heart.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Why did you sit between the fireplaces,
-\q listening to the shepherds playing their pipes for their flocks?
+\q2 listening to the shepherds playing their pipes for their flocks?
 \q As for the clans of Reuben
-\q there were great searchings of heart.
+\q2 there were great searchings of heart.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 Gilead stayed on the other side of the Jordan;
-\q and Dan, why did he wander about on ships?
+\q2 and Dan, why did he wander about on ships?
 \q Asher remained on the coast
-\q and lived close to his harbors.
+\q2 and lived close to his harbors.
 \q
 \v 18 Zebulun was a people who despised their lives to the point of death,
-\q and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
+\q2 and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 The kings came, they fought;
-\q the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach
+\q2 the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach
 \q by the waters of Megiddo.
-\q But they took away no silver as plunder.
+\q2 But they took away no silver as plunder.
 \q
 \v 20 From heaven the stars fought,
-\q from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
+\q2 from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 The Kishon River swept them away,
 \q2 that old river, the Kishon River.
-\q March on my soul, be strong!
+\q2 March on my soul, be strong!
 \q
 \v 22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves—
-\q galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
+\q2 galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 'Curse Meroz!' says the angel of Yahweh.
-\q 'Surely curse its inhabitants!—
+\q2 'Surely curse its inhabitants!—
 \q because they did not come to help Yahweh—
-\q to help Yahweh in the battle against the mighty warriors.'
+\q2 to help Yahweh in the battle against the mighty warriors.'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 24 Jael is blessed more than all other women,
-\q Jael (the wife of Heber the Kenite),
-\q she is more blessed than all the women who live in tents.
+\q2 Jael (the wife of Heber the Kenite),
+\q2 she is more blessed than all the women who live in tents.
 \q
 \v 25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk;
-\q she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
+\q2 she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 26 She put her hand to the tent peg,
-\q and her right hand to the laborer's hammer;
+\q2 and her right hand to the laborer's hammer;
 \q with the hammer she struck Sisera, she crushed his head.
-\q She smashed his skull into pieces when she pierced him through the side of his head.
+\q2 She smashed his skull into pieces when she pierced him through the side of his head.
 \q
 \v 27 He collapsed between her feet, he fell and he lay there.
-\q Between her feet he fell limp.
-\q The place he collapsed is where he was violently killed.
+\q2 Between her feet he fell limp.
+\q2 The place he collapsed is where he was violently killed.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 28 Out of a window she looked—
-\q the mother of Sisera looked through the lattice and she called out in sadness,
+\q2 the mother of Sisera looked through the lattice and she called out in sadness,
 \q 'Why has it taken his chariot so long to come?
-\q Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?'
+\q2 Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 29 Her wisest princesses replied,
-\q and she gave herself the same answer:
+\q2 and she gave herself the same answer:
 \q
 \v 30 'Have they not found and divided up the plunder—
-\q a womb, two wombs for every man;
+\q2 a womb, two wombs for every man;
 \q the plunder of dyed fabric for Sisera,
-\q the plunder of dyed fabric embroidered,
-\q two pieces of dyed fabric embroidered for the necks of those who plunder?'
+\q2 the plunder of dyed fabric embroidered,
+\q2 two pieces of dyed fabric embroidered for the necks of those who plunder?'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 31 So may all your enemies perish, Yahweh!
-\q But your friends be like the sun when it rises in its might."
+\q2 But your friends be like the sun when it rises in its might."
 \p Then the land had peace for forty years.
 
 \s5
@@ -593,7 +599,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Then the officials of Sukkoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand? Why should we give bread to your army?"
-\v 7 Gideon said, "When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will tear your skin with the desert thorns and briers."
+\v 7 Gideon said, "When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers."
 
 \s5
 \v 8 He went up from there to Peniel and spoke to the people there in the same way, but the men of Peniel answered him just as the men of Sukkoth had answered.
@@ -771,7 +777,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.
-\v 56 So God avenged the evil of Abimelek that he did to his father by slaying his seventy brothers.
+\v 56 So God avenged the evil of Abimelek that he did to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
 \v 57 God made all the evil of the men of Shechem turn back on their own heads and on them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal.
 
 \s5
@@ -1015,7 +1021,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 He said to them,
 \q "Out of the eater was something to eat;
-\q out of the strong was something sweet."
+\q2 out of the strong was something sweet."
 \p But his guests could not find the answer in three days.
 
 \s5
@@ -1029,10 +1035,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 18 Before the sun went down on the seventh day the men of the city said to him,
 \q "What is sweeter than honey?
-\q What is stronger than a lion?"
+\q2 What is stronger than a lion?"
 \p Samson said to them,
 \q "If you had not plowed with my heifer,
-\q you would not have found the answer to my riddle."
+\q2 you would not have found the answer to my riddle."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1077,7 +1083,7 @@
 \v 15 Samson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and he picked it up and killed a thousand men with it.
 \v 16 Samson said,
 \q "With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps,
-\q with the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men."
+\q2 with the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1325,7 +1331,7 @@
 \c 20
 \p
 \v 1 Then all the people of Israel—from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead also—came out, and the congregation assembled together as one man before Yahweh at Mizpah.
-\v 2 The leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God—400,000 men on foot, who were ready to fight with the sword.
+\v 2 The leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God—400,000 footmen ready to fight with the sword.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, "Tell us how this wicked thing happened."
@@ -1395,7 +1401,7 @@
 \v 33 All the men of Israel rose up out of their places and formed themselves into lines for battle at Baal Tamar. Then the people of Israel who had been hiding in secret places ran out from their places from Maareh Gibeah.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 There came out against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the fighting was fierce, but the Benjamites did not know that disaster was close to them.
+\v 34 Ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the fighting was fierce, but the Benjamites did not know that disaster was close to them.
 \v 35 Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel. On that day, the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin. All these who died were those who had been trained to fight with the sword.
 
 \s5
@@ -1424,7 +1430,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, toward the rock of Rimmon. For four months they stayed at the rock of Rimmon.
-\v 48 The men of Israel turned against the descendants of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, including the animals and everything that they found. They also burned down every town in their path.
+\v 48 And the men of Israel turned back against the descendants of Benjamin and struck down with the edge of the sword the entire city, the animals and everything that they found. They also burned down every town in their path.
 
 \s5
 \c 21

08-RUT.usfm

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of great wealth of the clan of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
+\v 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of great wealth of the clan of Elimelek, and his name was Boaz.
 \v 2 Ruth, the Moabite woman, said to Naomi, "Now let me go and glean what remains among the ears of grain in the fields. I will follow anyone in whose eyes I will find favor." So Naomi said to her, "Go, my daughter."
 
 \s5
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Therefore, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, \fqa Put on your best piece of clothing \fqa* . However, a marginal note instructs readers to read, \fqa Put on your best clothes. \fqa* Translators are free to choose for themselves. \f*
-\v 4 But when he lies down, take notice of the place where he lies down so that later you can go to him, uncover his feet, and lie down there. Then he will explain to you what are to do."
+\v 4 But when he lies down, take notice of the place where he lies down so that later you can go to him, uncover his feet, and lie down there. Then he will explain to you what to do."
 \v 5 Ruth said to Naomi, "I will do everything you say."
 
 \s5

09-1SA.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Samuel
 \toc1 The First Book of Samuel
-\toc2 First Samuel
+\toc2 1 Samuel
 \toc3 1Sa
 \mt First Samuel
 
@@ -71,63 +71,63 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Hannah prayed and said,
 \q "My heart rejoices in Yahweh.
-\q My horn is exalted in Yahweh.
+\q2 My horn is exalted in Yahweh.
 \q My mouth boasts over my enemies,
-\q because I rejoice in your salvation.
+\q2 because I rejoice in your salvation.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 There is no one holy like Yahweh,
-\q for there is none besides you;
-\q there is no rock like our God.
+\q2 for there is none besides you;
+\q2 there is no rock like our God.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Boast no more so very proudly;
-\q let no arrogance come out of your mouth.
+\q2 let no arrogance come out of your mouth.
 \q For Yahweh is a God of knowledge;
-\q by him actions are weighed.
+\q2 by him acts are weighed.
 \q
-\v 4 The bow of the mighty men are broken,
-\q but those who stumble put on strength like a belt.
+\v 4 The bows of the mighty men are broken,
+\q2 but those who stumble are girded with strength.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread;
-\q those who were hungry have stopped being hungry.
+\q2 those who were hungry have stopped being hungry.
 \q Even the barren one gives birth to seven,
-\q but the woman who has many children becomes weak.
+\q2 but the woman who has many children becomes weak.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Yahweh kills and brings to life.
-\q He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
+\q2 He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
 \q
 \v 7 Yahweh makes some people poor and some rich.
-\q He humbles, but he also lifts up.
+\q2 He humbles, but he also lifts up.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 He raises up the poor out of the dust.
-\q He lifts the needy from the ash heap
+\q2 He lifts the needy from the ash heap
 \q to make them sit with princes
-\q and inherit the seat of honor.
+\q2 and inherit the seat of honor.
 \q For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's
-\q and he has set the world upon them.
+\q2 and he has set the world upon them.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 He will guard the feet of his faithful people,
-\q but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness,
-\q for no one will prevail by strength.
+\q2 but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness,
+\q2 for no one will prevail by strength.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Those who oppose Yahweh will be broken to pieces;
-\q he will thunder against them from heaven.
+\q2 he will thunder against them from heaven.
 \q Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth;
-\q he will give strength to his king
-\q and exalt the horn of his anointed."
+\q2 he will give strength to his king
+\q2 and exalt the horn of his anointed."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -151,16 +151,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May Yahweh give you more children by this woman because of the request she made of Yahweh." Then they would return to their own home.
-\v 21 Yahweh again helped Hannah, and again she became pregnant. She bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Yahweh.
+\v 21 Yahweh again helped Hannah, and again she conceived. She bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 22 Now Eli was very old; he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were lying with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
-\v 23 He said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil actions from all these people."
+\v 23 He said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil actions from all these people.
 \v 24 No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear. You make Yahweh's people disobey.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 "If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will speak for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.
+\v 25 If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will speak for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.
 \v 26 The child Samuel grew up, and increased in favor with Yahweh and also with men.
 
 \s5
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@
 \c 3
 \p
 \v 1 The child Samuel served Yahweh under Eli. Yahweh's word was rare in those days; there was no frequent prophetic vision.
-\v 2 At that time, when Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see well, was lying down in his own bed.
+\v 2 At that time, Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see well, was lying down in his own bed.
 \v 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was.
 \v 4 Yahweh called to Samuel, who said, "Here I am."
 
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she knelt down and gave birth, but her labor pains overwhelmed her.
+\v 19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she knelt down and gave birth, but her labor pains overwhelmed her.
 \v 20 About the time of her death the women attending to her said, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or take what they said to heart.
 
 \s5
@@ -321,8 +321,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Now then, prepare a new cart with two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Tie the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.
-\v 8 Then take the ark of Yahweh and place it in the cart. Put the golden figures that you are returning to him as a guilt offering into a box to one side of it. Then send it off and let it go its own way.
-\v 9 Then watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land to Beth Shemesh, then it is Yahweh who has executed this great disaster. But if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that afflicted us; instead, we will know that it happened to us by chance."
+\v 8 Take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart, and put the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering, in a box beside it. Send it off and let it go its way,
+\v 9 but watch. If it goes up the road to its own land toward Beth Shemesh, then it is Yahweh who has caused us this great harm. But if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that afflicted us; it happened to us by chance."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@
 \v 7 Yahweh said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in everything they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 The same deeds they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt—forsaking me and serving other gods—they are now doing also to you.
+\v 8 The same deeds they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt—abandoning me and serving other gods—they are now doing also to you.
 \v 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know by what ordinances the king will reign over them."
 
 \s5
@@ -597,14 +597,14 @@
 \s5
 \c 12
 \p
-\v 1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me, and I have set a king over you.
+\v 1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me, and I have set a king to reign over you.
 \v 2 Now, here is the king walking before you; and I am old and gray; and, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until today.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Here I am; testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with? Testify against me, and I will restore it to you."
 
 \s5
-\v 4 They said, "You have not cheated us, oppressed us, or have stolen anything from any man's hand."
+\v 4 They said, "You have not defrauded us, oppressed us, or stolen anything from any man's hand."
 \v 5 He said to them, "Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness today, that you have found nothing in my hand." They replied, "Yahweh is witness."
 
 \s5
@@ -617,11 +617,11 @@
 \v 9 But they forgot Yahweh their God; he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the armies of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; these all fought against your ancestors.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 They cried out to Yahweh and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'
+\v 10 They cried out to Yahweh and said, 'We have sinned, because we have abandoned Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'
 \v 11 So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and gave you victory over your enemies all around you, so that you lived in security.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No! Instead, a king must reign over us'—although Yahweh your God, was your king.
+\v 12 When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No, a king must rule over us'—even though Yahweh your God was your king.
 \v 13 Now here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for and whom Yahweh has now appointed as king over you.
 
 \s5
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 For the sake of his great name, Yahweh will not reject his people, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people for himself.
-\v 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you. Instead, I will teach you the way that is good and right.
+\v 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the way that is good and right.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 Only fear Yahweh and serve him in truth with all your heart. Consider the great things he has done for you.
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised fellows. It may be that Yahweh will work on our behalf, for nothing can stop Yahweh from gaining victory by many or by few people."
+\v 6 Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised fellows. It may be that Yahweh will work on our behalf, for nothing can stop Yahweh from saving by many or by few people."
 \v 7 His armor bearer replied, "Do everything that is in your heart. Go ahead, see, I am with you, to obey all your commands."
 
 \s5
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@
 \v 44 Saul said, "God do so and more also to me, if you do not die, Jonathan."
 
 \s5
-\v 45 Then the people said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great victory for Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today." So the people ransomed Jonathan so that he did not die.
+\v 45 Then the people said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great salvation for Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today." So the people ransomed Jonathan so that he did not die.
 \v 46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
 
 \s5
@@ -836,7 +836,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying,
-\v 11 "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." Samuel was angry; he cried out to Yahweh all night.
+\v 11 "I regret that I have set Saul to reign as king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." Samuel was angry; he cried out to Yahweh all night.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 Samuel got up early to meet Saul in the morning. Samuel was told, "Saul came to Carmel and he set up a monument to himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal."
@@ -851,7 +851,7 @@
 \p
 \v 17 Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Then Yahweh anointed you king over Israel,
 \v 18 and Yahweh sent you on your way and said, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are destroyed.'
-\v 19 Why did you not obey the voice of Yahweh, but instead you seized the plunder and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh?"
+\v 19 Why did you not obey the voice of Yahweh? Why did you rush to the plunder and do what was evil in the sight of Yahweh?"
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have indeed obeyed the voice of Yahweh, and have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me. I have captured Agag, the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.
@@ -920,8 +920,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Now the Spirit of Yahweh left Saul, and a harmful spirit from Yahweh troubled him instead.
-\v 15 Saul's servants said to him, "See now, a harmful spirit from God is terrifying you.
+\v 14 Now the Spirit of Yahweh left Saul, and a harmful spirit from Yahweh tormented him instead.
+\v 15 Saul's servants said to him, "See now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.
 \v 16 Let our master now command your servants who are before you to search for a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the harmful spirit from God is on you, he will play it and you will be well."
 
 \s5
@@ -984,7 +984,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 David left his belongings with the keeper of supplies, ran to the army, and greeted his brothers.
-\v 23 As he talked with them, the strong man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, and he came out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words as before, and David heard them.
+\v 23 As he talked with them, the strong man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out of the ranks of the Philistines and said the same words as before, and David heard them.
 \v 24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very afraid.
 
 \s5
@@ -1007,7 +1007,7 @@
 \v 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are only a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
 
 \s5
-\v 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
+\v 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to shepherd his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
 \v 35 I chased after him and attacked him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard, struck him, and put him to death.
 
 \s5
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 46 Today Yahweh will give me victory over you, and I will kill you and remove your head from your body. Today I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
-\v 47 and that all this gathering may know that Yahweh does not give victory with sword or spear. For the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand."
+\v 47 and that all this gathering may know that Yahweh does not save with sword or spear. For the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand."
 
 \s5
 \v 48 When the Philistine rose and approached David, then David ran quickly toward the enemy army to meet him.
@@ -1076,7 +1076,7 @@
 \v 6 As they came home from defeating the Philistines, the women came from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
 \v 7 The women sang one to another as they played. They sang:
 \q "Saul has killed his thousands,
-\q and David his ten thousands."
+\q2 and David his ten thousands."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1139,7 +1139,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant David. For he has not sinned against you, and his deeds have brought you good.
-\v 5 For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine. Yahweh brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?"
+\v 5 For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine. Yahweh brought about great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?"
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Saul listened to Jonathan. Saul swore, "As Yahweh lives, he will not be put to death."
@@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@
 \v 5 David said to Jonathan, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; because it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.'
+\v 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.'
 \v 7 If he says, 'It is well,' your servant will have peace. But if he is very angry, then know that he has decided on evil.
 
 \s5
@@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@
 \v 10 David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.
 \v 11 Achish's servants said to him, "Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another about him in dances,
 \q 'Saul has killed his thousands,
-\q and David his ten thousands?'"
+\q2 and David his ten thousands?'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1535,7 +1535,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Yahweh will have done for my master everything he promised you, and has appointed you leader over Israel.
-\v 31 This will not be a staggering burden for you—that you have poured out innocent blood, or because my master attempted to rescue himself. For when Yahweh will do good for my master, remember your servant."
+\v 31 This will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my master—that you have poured out innocent blood, or because my master attempted to rescue himself. For when Yahweh will do good for my master, remember your servant."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1556,7 +1556,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "May Yahweh be blessed, who has taken up the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from evil. He has turned Nabal's evil action back on his own head." Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her to himself as wife.
+\v 39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "May Yahweh be blessed, who has avenged the scorn I have received from the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from doing wrong. He has turned Nabal's evil action back on his own head." Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her to himself as wife.
 \v 40 When David's servants had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her and said, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife."
 
 \s5
@@ -1681,7 +1681,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
-\v 14 He said to her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man is coming up; he is clothed with a robe." Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and showed him respect.
+\v 14 He said to her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man is coming up; he is clothed with a robe." Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and showed him respect.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1722,8 +1722,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Is this not David of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,
-\q 'Saul has slain his thousands,
-\q and David his ten thousands'?"
+\q 'Saul has killed his thousands,
+\q2 and David his ten thousands'?"
 
 \s5
 \p

10-2SA.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Samuel
 \toc1 The Second Book of Samuel
-\toc2 Second Samuel
+\toc2 2 Samuel
 \toc3 2Sa
 \mt Second Samuel
 
@@ -42,17 +42,13 @@
 \v 17 Then David sang this lament about Saul and Jonathan his son.
 \v 18 He commanded the people to teach this Song of the Bow to the sons of Judah, which has been written in the Book of Jashar.
 \q
-\v 19 "Your glory, Israel,
-\q2 is dead, killed on your high places!
-\q How the mighty have fallen!
+\v 19 "Your glory, Israel, is dead, killed on your high places!
+\q2 How the mighty have fallen!
 \q
 \v 20 Do not tell it in Gath,
-\q do not proclaim it
-\q2 in the streets of Ashkelon,
-\q so that the daughters of the
-\q2 Philistines may not rejoice,
-\q so that the daughters of the
-\q2 uncircumcised may not celebrate.
+\q2 do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,
+\q so that the daughters of the Philistines may not rejoice,
+\q2 so that the daughters of the uncircumcised may not celebrate.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -65,31 +61,31 @@
 \v 22 From the blood of those who have been killed,
 \q2 from the bodies of the mighty,
 \q the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
-\q and the sword of Saul did not return empty.
+\q2 and the sword of Saul did not return empty.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 Saul and Jonathan were loved and gracious in life,
-\q and in their death they were not separated.
+\q2 and in their death they were not separated.
 \q They were swifter than eagles,
-\q they were stronger than lions.
+\q2 they were stronger than lions.
 \q
 \v 24 You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
-\q who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewels,
-\q and who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
+\q2 who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewels,
+\q2 and who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 25 How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
-\q Jonathan is killed on your high places.
+\q2 Jonathan is killed on your high places.
 \q
 \v 26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.
-\q You were very dear to me.
+\q2 You were very dear to me.
 \q Your love to me was wonderful,
-\q exceeding the love of women.
+\q2 exceeding the love of women.
 \q
 \v 27 How the mighty have fallen,
-\q and the weapons of war perished!"
+\q2 and the weapons of war perished!"
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -398,7 +394,7 @@
 \v 5 "Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: Will you build me a house in which to live?
 
 \s5
-\v 6 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt until this present day; instead, I have been moving about in a tent, a tabernacle.
+\v 6 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt until this present day. Rather, I have been moving about in a tent, a tabernacle.
 \v 7 In all places where I have moved among all the people of Israel, did I ever say anything to anyone from the tribes of Israel whom I appointed to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'
 
 \s5
@@ -655,7 +651,7 @@
 \v 18 It came about on the seventh day that the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Look, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice. What might he do to himself if we tell him that the boy is dead?!"
 
 \s5
-\v 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. He said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" They answered, "He is dead."
+\v 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David realized that the child was dead. He said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" They answered, "He is dead."
 \v 20 Then David arose from the floor and washed himself, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went to the tabernacle of Yahweh and worshiped there, and then he came back to his own palace. When he asked for it, they set food before him, and he ate.
 
 \s5
@@ -764,7 +760,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 14
 \p
-\v 1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart desired to see Absalom.
+\v 1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom.
 \v 2 So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought to him. He said to her, "Please pretend you are a mourner and put on mourning clothes. Please do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead.
 \v 3 Then go to the king and speak to him about what I will describe." So Joab told her the words she was to say to the king.
 
@@ -790,7 +786,7 @@
 \p
 \v 12 Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a further word to my master the king." He said, "Speak on."
 \v 13 So the woman said, "Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in saying this thing, the king is like someone who is guilty, because the king has not brought back home again his banished son.
-\v 14 For we all must die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life; instead, he finds a way for those who were driven away to be restored.
+\v 14 For we all must die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life. Rather, he devises a way for those who were driven away not to remain outcast.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Now then, seeing that I have come to speak this thing to my master the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. So your servant said to herself, 'I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
@@ -835,11 +831,11 @@
 \c 15
 \p
 \v 1 It came about after this that Absalom prepared a chariot and horses for himself, with fifty men to run before him.
-\v 2 Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. When any man had a dispute to come to the king for judgment, Absalom called to him and said, "From what city have you come?" Then the man would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."
+\v 2 Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. When any man had a dispute to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city have you come?" Then the man would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So Absalom would say to him, "Look, your case is good and in the right, but there is no one empowered by the king to hear your case."
-\v 4 Absalom added, "I wish that I were made judge in the land, so that every man who had any dispute or cause might come to me, and I would bring him justice!"
+\v 4 Absalom would add, "I wish that I were made judge in the land, so that every man who had any dispute or cause might come to me, and I would bring him justice!"
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So it came about that when any man came to Absalom to honor him, Absalom would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
@@ -917,7 +913,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When King David approached Bahurim, there came out from there a man from the clan of Saul, whose name was Shimei son of Gera. He came out cursing as he walked.
+\v 5 When King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the clan of Saul came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.  
 \v 6 He threw stones at David and at all of the king's servants, in spite of the people and mighty men who were on the king's right and left.
 
 \s5
@@ -944,7 +940,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with him?"
-\v 18 Hushai said to Absalom, "No! Instead, the one whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, that is the man to whom I will belong, and I will stay with him.
+\v 18 Hushai said to Absalom, "No! The one whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, that is the man to whom I will belong, and I will stay with him.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Also, what man should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, I will serve in your presence."
@@ -1292,250 +1288,254 @@
 \p
 \v 1 David sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.
 \v 2 He prayed,
-\q "Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who rescues me.
+\q "Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, 
+\q2 the one who rescues me.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 God is my rock. I take refuge in him.
-\q He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, and my refuge,
-\q the one who saves me from violence.
+\v 3 God is my rock. 
+\q2 I take refuge in him.
+\q He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, 
+\q2 my stronghold, and my refuge,
+\q2 the one who saves me from violence.
 \q
 \v 4 I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
-\q and I will be saved from my enemies.
+\q2 and I will be saved from my enemies.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 For the waves of death surrounded me,
-\q the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.
+\q2 the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.
 \q
 \v 6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
-\q the snares of death trapped me.
+\q2 the snares of death trapped me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 In my distress I called to Yahweh;
-\q I called to my God;
+\q2 I called to my God;
 \q he heard my voice from his temple,
-\q and my cry for help went into his ears.
+\q2 and my cry for help went into his ears.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Then the earth shook and trembled.
-\q The foundations of the heavens trembled
-\q and were shaken, because God was angry.
+\q2 The foundations of the heavens trembled
+\q2 and were shaken, because God was angry.
 \q
 \v 9 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils,
-\q and blazing fire came out of his mouth.
-\q Coals were kindled by it.
+\q2 and blazing fire came out of his mouth.
+\q2 Coals were kindled by it.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 He opened the heavens and came down,
-\q and thick darkness was under his feet.
+\q2 and thick darkness was under his feet.
 \q
 \v 11 He rode on a cherub and flew.
-\q He was seen on the wings of the wind.
+\q2 He was seen on the wings of the wind.
 \q
 \v 12 He made darkness a tent around him,
-\q gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.
+\q2 gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 From the lightning before him
-\q coals of fire fell.
+\q2 coals of fire fell.
 \q
 \v 14 Yahweh thundered from the heavens.
-\q The Most High shouted.
+\q2 The Most High shouted.
 \q
 \v 15 He shot arrows and scattered his enemies—
-\q lightning bolts and threw them into confusion.
+\q2 lightning bolts and threw them into confusion.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
-\q the foundations of the world were laid bare
+\q2 the foundations of the world were laid bare
 \q at the rebuke of Yahweh,
-\q at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
+\q2 at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 He reached down from above; he took hold of me!
-\q He pulled me out of the surging water.
+\q2 He pulled me out of the surging water.
 \q
 \v 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
-\q from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
+\q2 from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 They came against me on the day of my distress,
-\q but Yahweh was my support.
+\q2 but Yahweh was my support.
 \q
 \v 20 He also brought me out to a wide open place.
-\q He saved me because he was pleased with me.
+\q2 He saved me because he was pleased with me.
 \q
 \v 21 Yahweh has rewarded me to the measure of my righteousness;
-\q he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.
+\q2 he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh
-\q and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.
+\q2 and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.
 \q
 \v 23 For all his righteous decrees have been before me;
-\q as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
+\q2 as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 24 I have also been innocent before him,
-\q and I have kept myself from my iniquity.
+\q2 and I have kept myself from my iniquity.
 \q
 \v 25 Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness,
-\q to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.
+\q2 to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 26 To the faithful one, you show yourself to be faithful;
-\q to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
+\q2 to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
 \q
 \v 27 With the pure you show yourself pure,
-\q but you are perverse to the twisted.
+\q2 but you are perverse to the twisted.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 28 You save afflicted people,
-\q but your eyes are against the proud, and you humiliate them.
+\q2 but your eyes are against the proud, and you humiliate them.
 \q
 \v 29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh.
-\q Yahweh lights up my darkness.
+\q2 Yahweh lights up my darkness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 30 For by you I can run over a troop;
-\q by my God I can leap over a wall.
+\q2 by my God I can leap over a wall.
 \q
 \v 31 As for God, his way is perfect.
-\q The word of Yahweh is pure.
-\q He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
+\q2 The word of Yahweh is pure.
+\q He is a shield 
+\q2 to everyone who takes refuge in him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 32 For who is God except Yahweh,
-\q and who is a rock except our God?
+\q2 and who is a rock except our God?
 \q
 \v 33 God is my refuge,
-\q and he leads the blameless person on his path.
+\q2 and he leads the blameless person on his path.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 34 He makes my feet swift like a deer
-\q and places me on the high hills.
+\q2 and places me on the high hills.
 \q
 \v 35 He trains my hands for war,
-\q and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
+\q2 and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
-\q and your favor has made me great.
+\q2 and your favor has made me great.
 \q
 \v 37 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me,
-\q so my feet have not slipped.
+\q2 so my feet have not slipped.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them.
-\q I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
+\q2 I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
 \q
 \v 39 I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise.
-\q They have fallen under my feet.
+\q2 They have fallen under my feet.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 40 You put strength on me like a belt for battle;
-\q you put under me those who rise up against me.
+\v 40 You girded me with strength for battle;
+\q2 you put under me those who rise up against me.
 \q
 \v 41 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks;
-\q I annihilated those who hated me.
+\q2 I annihilated those who hated me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 42 They cried for help, but no one saved them;
-\q they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
+\q2 they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
 \q
 \v 43 I beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground,
-\q I trampled them like mud in the streets.
+\q2 I trampled them like mud in the streets.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 44 You also have rescued me from the disputes of my own people.
-\q You have kept me as the head of nations.
+\q2 You have kept me as the head of nations.
 \q A people that I have not known serves me.
 \q
 \v 45 Foreigners were forced to bow to me.
-\q As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
+\q2 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
 \q
 \v 46 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 47 Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised.
-\q May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.
+\q2 May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.
 \q
 \v 48 This is the God who executes vengeance for me,
-\q the one who brings down peoples under me.
+\q2 the one who brings down peoples under me.
 \q
 \v 49 He sets me free from my enemies.
 \q Indeed, you lifted me up above those who rose up against me.
-\q You rescue me from violent men.
+\q2 You rescue me from violent men.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations;
-\q I will sing praises to your name.
+\q2 I will sing praises to your name.
 \q
 \v 51 God gives great victory to his king,
-\q and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one,
-\q to David and to his descendants forever."
+\q2 and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one,
+\q2 to David and to his descendants forever."
 
 \s5
 \c 23
 \p
 \v 1 Now these are the last words of David—
 \q the declaration of David son of Jesse,
-\q the declaration of the man who was highly honored,
+\q2 the declaration of the man who was highly honored,
 \q the one anointed by the God of Jacob,
-\q the sweet psalmist of Israel.
+\q2 the sweet psalmist of Israel.
 \q
 \v 2 "The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me,
-\q and his word was on my tongue.
+\q2 and his word was on my tongue.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 The God of Israel spoke,
-\q the Rock of Israel said to me,
+\q2 the Rock of Israel said to me,
 \q 'The one who rules righteously over men,
-\q who rules in the fear of God.
+\q2 who rules in the fear of God.
 \q
 \v 4 He will be like the morning light when the sun rises,
-\q a morning without clouds,
+\q2 a morning without clouds,
 \q when the tender grass springs up from the earth
-\q through bright sunshine after rain.
+\q2 through bright sunshine after rain.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Indeed, is my family not like this before God?
-\q Has he not made an everlasting covenant with me,
+\q2 Has he not made an everlasting covenant with me,
 \q ordered and sure in every way?
-\q Does he not increase my salvation and fulfill my every desire?
+\q2 Does he not increase my salvation and fulfill my every desire?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 But the worthless will all be like thorns to be thrown away,
-\q because they cannot be gathered by one's hands.
+\q2 because they cannot be gathered by one's hands.
 \q
 \v 7 The man who touches them
-\q must use an iron tool or the shaft of a spear.
-\q They must be burned up where they lie.'"
+\q2 must use an iron tool or the shaft of a spear.
+\q2 They must be burned up where they lie.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1590,7 +1590,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 Heled \f + \ft Some ancient copies have the spelling of this name to read read, \fqa Heleb \fqa* . \f* son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
+\v 29 Heled \f + \ft Some ancient copies have the spelling of this name to read, \fqa Heleb \fqa* . \f* son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
 \p
 \v 30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the valleys of Gaash.
 \p
@@ -1605,7 +1605,7 @@
 \p
 \v 35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
 \p
-\v 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani from the tribe of Gad, \f + \ft Some modern versions have a different name at this place in the text: \fqa Zobah the son of Hagri \fqa* . \f*
+\v 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani from the tribe of Gad, \f + \ft Some modern translations have a different name at this place in the text: \fqa Zobah the son of Hagri \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \p

11-1KI.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Kings
 \toc1 The First Book of Kings
-\toc2 First Kings
+\toc2 1 Kings
 \toc3 1Ki
 \mt First Kings
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 35 Then you will come up after him, and he will come and sit on my throne; for he will be king in my place. I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."
-\v 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "So let it be! May Yahweh, the God of my master the king, confirm it.
+\v 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Let it be so! May Yahweh, the God of my master the king, confirm it.
 \v 37 As Yahweh has been with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David."
 
 \s5
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
 \v 4 so that Yahweh may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your descendants carefully watch their conduct, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never cease to have a man on the throne of Israel.'
 
 \s5
-\v 5 You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the shoes on his feet.
+\v 5 You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.
 \v 6 Deal with Joab by the wisdom you have learned, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
 
 \s5
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 45 But King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever."
 \v 46 Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He went out and put Shimei to death.
-\q So the rule was well established in Solomon's hand.
+\q So the kingdom was well established in Solomon's hand.
 
 \s5
 \c 3
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the timber of cedar and fir that he desired.
-\v 11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat for food to his household and twenty thousand baths of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. \f + \ft Some ancient Hebrew manuscripts have: \fqa twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand cors \fqa* . Other ancient manuscripts read: \fqa twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand baths \fqa* , which we are following here. \f*
+\v 11 Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat for food to his household and twenty thousand baths of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. \f + \ft Some ancient Hebrew copies have: \fqa twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand cors \fqa* . Other ancient copies read: \fqa twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand baths \fqa* , which we are following here. \f*
 \v 12 Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.
 
 \s5
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@
 \v 16 besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work and who supervised the workers.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 At the king's command they quarried large stones of high quality with which to lay the foundation of the temple.
+\v 17 At the king's command they quarried large precious stones with which to lay the foundation of the temple.
 \v 18 So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men from Byblos \f + \ft Some modern English translations read, \fqa Gebalites \fqa* . \f* did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stones to build the temple.
 
 \s5
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@
 \p
 \v 11 The word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying,
 \v 12 "Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in my statutes and do justice, keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will confirm my promise with you that I had made to David your father.
-\v 13 I will live among the people of Israel and will not forsake them."
+\v 13 I will live among the people of Israel and will not abandon them."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -514,11 +514,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Huram made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and the sea was thirty cubits in circumference.
-\v 24 Under the brim encircling the sea were gourds, ten in each cubit, cast in one piece with "The Sea," when that basin was cast.
+\v 23 Huram made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and it was thirty cubits in circumference.
+\v 24 Under the brim encircling the sea were gourds, ten in each cubit, cast in one piece with it when that basin was cast.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 "The Sea" stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. "The Sea" was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside.
+\v 25 The sea stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. It was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside.
 \v 26 The sea was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. The sea held two thousand baths of water.
 
 \s5
@@ -546,7 +546,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 38 Huram made ten basins of bronze. One basin could hold forty baths of water. Each basin was four cubits across and there was one basin on each of ten stands.
-\v 39 He made five stands on the south-facing side of the temple and five on the north-facing side of the temple. He set "The Sea" on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple.
+\v 39 He made five stands on the south-facing side of the temple and five on the north-facing side of the temple. He set the sea on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 44 He made the large basin called "The Sea" with its twelve oxen under it;
+\v 44 He made the large basin called the sea with its twelve oxen under it;
 \p
 \v 45 also the pots, shovels, basins, and all the other implements. Huram made them out of polished bronze, for King Solomon, for the temple of Yahweh.
 
@@ -607,12 +607,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Solomon said,
-\q "Yahweh has said that
-\q2 he would live in thick darkness,
+\v 12 Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said
+\q2 that he would live in thick darkness,
 \q
-\v 13 But I have built you
-\q2 a lofty residence,
+\v 13 But I have built you a lofty residence,
 \q2 a place for you to live in forever."
 
 \s5
@@ -703,12 +701,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 54 So it was that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and request to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward the heavens.
+\v 54 So it was that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and request for favor to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward the heavens.
 \v 55 He stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying,
 \v 56 "May Yahweh be praised, who has given rest to his people Israel, keeping all his promises. Not one word has failed out of all Yahweh's good promises that he made with Moses his servant.
 
 \s5
-\v 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or forsake us,
+\v 57 May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us,
 \v 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to live in all his ways and keep his commandments and his regulations and his statutes, which he commanded our fathers.
 
 \s5
@@ -747,7 +745,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 This temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?'
-\v 9 Others will answer, 'Because they forsook Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'"
+\v 9 Others will answer, 'Because they abandoned Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'"
 
 \s5
 \v 10 It came about at the end of twenty years that Solomon had finished building the two buildings, the temple of Yahweh and the king's palace.
@@ -773,7 +771,7 @@
 \v 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were not able to totally destroy—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. Instead, they became his soldiers and his servants, his officials, and his officers and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.
+\v 22 However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. They were his soldiers, his servants, his officials, his officers, and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -806,7 +804,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 She said to the king, "It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom.
-\v 7 I did not believe what I heard until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me! In wisdom and wealth you have exceeded the report that I heard.
+\v 7 I did not believe the message until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me! In wisdom and wealth you have exceeded the report that I heard.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 How blessed are your wives, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom. \f + \ft Some Hebrew copies have: \fqa How blessed are your men \fqa* . The ancient Greek translation has \fqa How blessed are your wives \fqa* . Many think it is probable that \fqa women \fqa* was misread as \fqa men \fqa* , because two Hebrew words are very similar. \f*
@@ -904,7 +902,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 God also raised up another adversary to Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.
-\v 24 Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a marauding band when David slew the men of Zobah. Rezon's men went to Damascus and lived there, and Rezon reigned Damascus.
+\v 24 Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a marauding band when David killed the men of Zobah. Rezon's men went to Damascus and lived there, and Rezon reigned in Damascus.
 \v 25 He was an enemy of Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the trouble that Hadad caused. Rezon abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.
 
 \s5
@@ -920,10 +918,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 31 He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Look, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and I will give ten tribes to you
 \v 32 (but Solomon will have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake—the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),
-\v 33 because they have forsaken me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the people of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my decrees, as did David his father.
+\v 33 because they have abandoned me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the people of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my decrees, as did David his father.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand. Instead, I have made him ruler all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, the one who kept my commandments and my statutes.
+\v 34 I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand. I have made him ruler all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, the one who kept my commandments and my statutes.
 \v 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and I will give it to you, ten tribes.
 \v 36 I will give one tribe to Solomon's son, so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I have chosen to put my name.
 
@@ -1102,8 +1100,8 @@
 \v 8 I tore the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you, yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do only what was right in my eyes.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Instead, you have done evil, more than all who were before you. You have made other gods, and you have cast metal images to provoke me to anger, and have thrust me behind your back.
-\v 10 Therefore, look, I will bring disaster on your family; I will cut off from you every male child in Israel, whether slave or free, and will completely remove the family of Jeroboam like someone who burns up dung until it is gone.
+\v 9 Instead, you have done evil, more than all who were before you. You have made other gods, and you have cast metal images to provoke me to anger, and you have thrust me behind your back.
+\v 10 Therefore, look, I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam; I will cut off from you every male child in Israel, whether slave or free, and will completely remove the house of Jeroboam like someone who burns up dung until it is gone.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the heavens, for I, Yahweh, have said it.'
@@ -1210,7 +1208,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 29 As soon as he was king, Baasha killed all the family of Jeroboam. He left none of Jeroboam's descendants breathing; in this way he destroyed his royal line, just as Yahweh had spoken by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
-\v 30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he committed and by which he led Israel to sin, because he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger.
+\v 30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he committed and by which he led Israel to sin, in his anger to which he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1433,7 +1431,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 45 It happened that in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel,
-\v 46 but the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah. He tucked his robe in his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
+\v 46 but the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah. He girded his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
 
 \s5
 \c 19
@@ -1454,7 +1452,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 He went to a cave there and prepared to stay overnight in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
-\v 10 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life."
+\v 10 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life."
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Yahweh replied, "Go out and stand on the mountain before me." Then Yahweh passed by, and a very strong wind struck the mountains and broke rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind. Then after the wind, an earthquake came, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.
@@ -1462,7 +1460,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
-\v 14 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life."
+\v 14 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1596,7 +1594,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 So the men of his city, the elders and the wealthy who lived in Naboth's city, did as Jezebel had described to them, as was written in the letters that she had sent to them.
+\v 11 So the men of his city, the elders and the noblemen who lived in Naboth's city, did as Jezebel had described to them, as was written in the letters that she had sent to them.
 \v 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth above the people.
 \v 13 The two dishonest men came in and sat before Naboth; they testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed both God and the king." Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death.
 \v 14 Then the elders sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."
@@ -1693,7 +1691,7 @@
 \v 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not attack unimportant or important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel."
+\v 31 Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not attack unimportant or important soldiers. Attack only the king of Israel."
 \v 32 It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, "Surely that is the king of Israel." They turned to attack him, so Jehoshaphat cried out.
 \v 33 It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
 

12-2KI.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Kings
 \toc1 The Second Book of Kings
-\toc2 Second Kings
+\toc2 2 Kings
 \toc3 2Ki
 \mt Second Kings
 
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
 \v 19 You will attack every fortified city and every good city, cut down every good tree, stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with rocks."
 
 \s5
-\v 20 So in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, there came water from the direction of Edom; the country was filled with water.
+\v 20 So in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, waters came from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@
 \p
 \v 20 He had traveled only a short distance, when Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said to himself, "Look, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean by not receiving from his hands gifts that he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and receive something from him."
 \v 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he jumped down from his chariot to meet him and said, "Is everything all right?"
-\v 22 Gehazi said, "Everything is all right. My master has sent me, saying, 'See, now there have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'"
+\v 22 Gehazi said, "Everything is all right. My master has sent me, saying, 'See, now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'"
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Naaman replied, "I am very happy to give you two talents." Naaman urged Gehazi and tied two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothes, and laid them on two of his servants, who carried the bags of silver before Gehazi.
@@ -377,7 +377,6 @@
 \s5
 \c 7
 \nb
-\p
 \v 1 Elisha said, "Hear the word of Yahweh. This is what Yahweh says: 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'"
 \v 2 Then the officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, "See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?" Elisha replied, "See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it."
 
@@ -581,7 +580,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Jehu arose and left; he went to Samaria. As he was arriving at Beth Eked of the shepherd,
+\v 12 Then Jehu arose and left; he went to Samaria. As he was arriving at Beth Eked of the Shepherds,
 \v 13 he met brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said to them, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are brothers of Ahaziah, and we are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of Queen Jezebel."
 \v 14 Jehu said to his own men, "Take them alive." So they took them alive and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, all forty-two men. He did not leave any of them alive.
 
@@ -695,7 +694,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Instead, Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh. The priests who were guarding the temple entrance put into it all the money that was brought to the house of Yahweh.
+\v 9 Then, Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh. The priests who were guarding the temple entrance put into it all the money that was brought to the house of Yahweh.
 \v 10 Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest would come and put the money in bags and then count it, the money found in the temple of Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -786,7 +785,7 @@
 \v 5 It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death; instead, he acted according to what was written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, saying, "The fathers must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Instead, every person must be put to death for his own sin."
+\v 6 Yet he did not put to death the sons of the murderers, according to what was written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, saying, "Fathers must not be put to death because of their children, neither must the children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one must die for his own sin."
 \v 7 He killed ten thousand soldiers of Edom in the Valley of Salt; he also took Sela in war and called it Joktheel, which is what it is called to this day.
 
 \s5
@@ -828,7 +827,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 For Yahweh saw the suffering of Israel, that it was very bitter for everyone, both slave and free, and that there was no rescuer for Israel.
-\v 27 So Yahweh said that he would not blot out the name of Israel under heaven; instead, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
+\v 27 But Yahweh had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -907,7 +906,7 @@
 \v 33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok.
 
 \s5
-\v 34 Jotham did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. He followed the example of all his father Uzziah had done.
+\v 34 Jotham did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Uzziah had done.
 \v 35 However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Jotham built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh.
 \v 36 As for the other matters concerning Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah?
 
@@ -916,13 +915,13 @@
 \v 38 Jotham lay down with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, his ancestor. Then Ahaz, his son, became king in his place.
 
 \s5
-<u>\c 16
+\c 16
 \p
 \v 1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah, began to reign.
 \v 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, as David his ancestor had done.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Instead, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed, he made his son pass through the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations, which Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel.
+\v 3 Instead, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even made his son pass through the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel.
 \v 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every green tree.
 
 \s5
@@ -988,7 +987,7 @@
 \v 13 Yet Yahweh had testified to Israel and to Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, and be careful to keep all the law I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets."
 
 \s5
-\v 14 But they would not listen; instead they stiffened their necks like their fathers who did not trust in Yahweh their God.
+\v 14 But they would not listen; instead they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not trust in Yahweh their God.
 \v 15 They rejected his statutes and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and the covenant decrees that he had given to them. They followed useless practices and they themselves became useless. They followed the pagan nations who were around them, those that Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate.
 
 \s5
@@ -1028,7 +1027,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 To this day they persist in their old customs. They neither honor Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, decrees, the law, or the commandments that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
+\v 34 To this day they persist in their old customs. They neither honor Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, the customs, the law, or the commandments that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
 \v 35 When Yahweh made a covenant with them, he commanded them, "You will not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor worship them, nor sacrifice to them.
 
 \s5
@@ -1046,7 +1045,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah began to reign.
 \v 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah.
-\v 3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of all that David, his ancestor, had done.
+\v 3 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as David, his ancestor, had done.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 He removed the high places, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the people of Israel were burning incense to it; it was called "Nehushtan."
@@ -1164,7 +1163,7 @@
 \q The daughter of Jerusalem
 \q2 shakes her head at you.
 \q
-\v 22 Whom have you defied and reviled?
+\v 22 Whom have you defied and slandered?
 \q2 Against whom have you exalted your voice
 \q and lifted up your eyes in pride?
 \q2 Against the Holy One of Israel!
@@ -1188,7 +1187,6 @@
 \q2 under the soles of my feet.'
 
 \s5
-\p
 \q
 \v 25 Have you not heard how I
 \q2 determined it long ago,
@@ -1380,7 +1378,7 @@
 \v 16 "This is what Yahweh says: 'See, I will bring disaster to this place and to its inhabitants, according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke me to anger with all the deeds they have committed—therefore my anger has been kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.'"
+\v 17 Because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke me to anger with all the deeds they have committed—therefore my anger has been kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.'"
 \v 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh's will, this is what you will say to him: "Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: 'About the words that you heard,
 \v 19 because your heart was tender, and because you have humbled yourself before Yahweh, when you heard what I said against this place and its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have listened to you—this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
@@ -1444,7 +1442,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 26 Nevertheless, Yahweh did not turn away from the burning of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger.
+\v 26 Nevertheless, Yahweh did not turn away from the burning of his raging anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger.
 \v 27 So Yahweh said, "I will also remove Judah out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will throw away this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 'My name will be there.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -1514,7 +1512,6 @@
 \s5
 \c 25
 \nb
-\p
 \v 1 It happened that in the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem. He camped opposite it, and they built a siege wall around it.
 \v 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign.
 \v 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

13-1CH.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Chronicles
 \toc1 The First Book of the Chronicles
-\toc2 First Chronicles
+\toc2 1 Chronicles
 \toc3 1Ch
 \mt First Chronicles
 
@@ -13,13 +13,13 @@
 \v 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,
 \v 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech.
 \p
-\v 4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. \f + \ft The Hebrew copies do not have the expression \fqa The sons of Noah \fqa* , but the ancient Greek translation include this expression. \f*
+\v 4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. \f + \ft The Hebrew copies do not have the expression, \fqa The sons of Noah, \fqa* but the ancient Greek translation includes this expression. \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
 \p
-\v 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. \f + \ft Most Hebrew copies have \fqa Diphath \fqa* instead of \fqa Riphath \fqa* . However, \fqa Diphath \fqa* was probably a misspelling, with many ancient copies correct it to \fqa Riphath \fqa* in order to make it agree with the same name that is found in Genesis 10:2. \f*
+\v 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. \f + \ft Most Hebrew copies have \fqa Diphath \fqa* instead of \fqa Riphath. \fqa* However \fqa Diphath \fqa* was probably a misspelling and other ancient copies corrected it to read  \fqa Riphath. \fqa* This last name is found in Genesis 10:3. \f* 
 \p
 \v 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
 
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@
 \p
 \v 6 Zerah's sons were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, five in all.
 \p
-\v 7 Karmi's son was Achar, who brought trouble on Israel when he acted faithlessly in regard to what was devoted to God. \f + \ft Some Hebrew copies spell the name: \fqa Achan \fqa* instead of \fqa Achar \fqa* , a name which means \fqa trouble \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 Karmi's son was Achar, who brought trouble on Israel when he acted faithlessly in regard to what was devoted to God. \f + \ft Some Hebrew copies spell the name: \fqa Achan \fqa* instead of \fqa Achar, \fqa* a name which means \fqa trouble \fqa* . \f*
 \p
 \v 8 Ethan's son was Azariah.
 
@@ -249,9 +249,9 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 48 Maakah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah.
-\v 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Makbenah and the father of Gibea. The daughter of Caleb was Aksah. These were the descendants of Caleb.
+\v 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Makbenah and the father of Gibea. The daughter of Caleb was Aksah.
 
-\s5 Hur
+\s5
 \p
 \v 50 These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim,
 \v 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.
@@ -274,12 +274,12 @@
 \v 2 the third was Absalom, whose mother was Maakah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah son of Haggith;
 \p
 \v 3 the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; the sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife.
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
-\v 5 These four sons, by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel, were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. \f + \ft One ancient Hebrew copy and the ancient Latin translation have \fqa Bathseba \fqa* however, most ancient Hebrew copies have \fqa Bathshua \fqa* . 1 Samuel 12:24 is clear that Bathsheba was Solomon's mother, and so her name is spelled here, "Bathsheba", so as to avoid confusion. \f*
+\v 5 These four sons, by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel, were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. \f + \ft One ancient Hebrew copy and the ancient Latin translation have \fqa Bathseba, \fqa* however, most ancient Hebrew copies have \fqa Bathshua. \fqa* 1 Samuel 12:24 is clear that Bathsheba was Solomon's mother and so her name is spelled here, "Bathsheba," so as to avoid confusion. \f*
 
 \s5
 \v 6 David's other nine sons were: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet,
@@ -337,8 +337,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 These were the ancestors of the clans in the city of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister's name was Hazzelelponi.
-\v 4 Peniel was the ancestor of the clans in the city of Gedor. Ezer was the originator of the clans in Hushah. These were descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the originator of Bethlehem.
+\v 3 These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister's name was Hazzelelponi.
+\v 4 Penuel was the father of Gedor. Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@
 \v 19 They attacked the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 They received divine help against them. In this way, the Hagrites and all who were with them were defeated. This was because the Israelites earnestly appealed to God in the battle, and he responded to them, because they put their trust in him.
+\v 20 They received divine help against them. In this way, the Hagrites and all who were with them were defeated. This was because the Israelites cried out to God in the battle, and he responded to them, because they put their trust in him.
 \v 21 They captured their animals, including fifty thousand camels, 250,000 sheep, two thousand donkeys, and 100,000 men.
 \v 22 Many fell because the battle was from God. They lived in their land until the captivity.
 
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 But they were unfaithful to their ancestors' God. Instead, they acted like prostitutes with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
+\v 25 But they were unfaithful to their ancestors' God. They acted like prostitutes with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
 \v 26 The God of Israel stirred up Pul king of Assyria (also called Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria). He took into exile the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.
 
 \s5
@@ -585,10 +585,10 @@
 \v 37 Zephaniah was the son of Tahath. Tahath was the son of Assir. Assir was the son of Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph was the son of Korah.
 \p
 \v 38 Korah was the son of Izhar. Izhar was the son of Kohath. Kohath was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Israel.
-\p
 
 \s5
 \p
+\p
 \v 39 Heman's fellow worker was Asaph, who stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Shimea.
 \p
 \v 40 Shimea was the son of Michael. Michael was the son of Baaseiah. Baaseiah was the son of Malkijah.
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 50 Aaron's descendants are reckoned as follows: Aaron's son was Eleazar. Eleazar's son was Phinehas. Phinehas's son was Abishua.
+\v 50 Aaron's descendants are reckoned as follows: Aaron's son was Eleazar. Eleazar's son was Phinehas. Phinehas' son was Abishua.
 \v 51 Abishua's son was Bukki. Bukki's son was Uzzi. Uzzi's son was Zerahiah.
 \p
 \v 52 Zerahiah's son was Meraioth. Meraioth's son was Amariah. Amariah's son was Ahitub.
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 63 To Merari's descendants they gave by lot twelve cities, clan by clan, from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
 \v 64 So the people of Israel gave these cities with their pasturelands to the Levites.
-\v 65 They assigned by lot these towns mentioned by name from the tribes of of the sons of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
+\v 65 They assigned by lot these towns mentioned by name from the tribes of the sons of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -734,7 +734,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,
+\v 20 The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,
 \v 21 Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by men of Gath, natives in the land, when they went to steal their livestock.
 \v 22 Ephraim their father mourned for them many days, and his brothers came to comfort him.
 
@@ -813,7 +813,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Beriah had these sons: Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
+\v 14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
 \v 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,
 \v 16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
 \p
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Among the descendants of Benjamin were Sallu son of Meshullam son of Hodaviah son of Hassenuah.
+\v 7 Among the descendants of Benjamin was Sallu son of Meshullam son of Hodaviah son of Hassenuah.
 \p
 \v 8 There were also Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah son of Reuel son of Ibnijah.
 \p
@@ -1017,7 +1017,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 These were the leaders David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, obeying the word of Yahweh concerning Israel.
-\v 11 This is a list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hakmonite, was commander of the officers. \f + \ft The Hebrew could also read \fqa of the thirty \fqa* or \fqa of the three \fqa* \f* He killed three hundred men with his spear on one occasion.
+\v 11 This is a list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hakmonite, was commander of the officers. \f + \ft The Hebrew could also read, \fqa of the thirty, \fqa* or, \fqa of the three \fqa* . \f* He killed three hundred men with his spear on one occasion.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 After him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.
@@ -1320,7 +1320,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah, the leader of the song with the singers. David was wearing a linen ephod.
-\v 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with joyful shouting, and with the sound of horns and rams' horns, with cymbals, and with lutes and harps.
+\v 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with joyful shouting, and with the sound of horns and trumpets, with cymbals, and with lutes and harps.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1344,116 +1344,116 @@
 \v 7 Then on that day David first appointed Asaph and his brothers to sing this song of thanksgiving to Yahweh.
 \q
 \v 8 Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name;
-\q make known his deeds among the nations.
+\q2 make known his deeds among the nations.
 \q
 \v 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
-\q speak of all his marvelous deeds.
+\q2 speak of all his marvelous deeds.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Boast in his holy name;
-\q let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
+\q2 let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
 \q
 \v 11 Seek Yahweh and his strength;
-\q seek his presence continually.
+\q2 seek his presence continually.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Recall the marvelous things he has done,
-\q his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,
+\q2 his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,
 \q
 \v 13 you descendants of Israel his servant,
-\q you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.
+\q2 you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.
 \q
 \v 14 He is Yahweh, our God.
-\q His decrees are on all the earth.
+\q2 His decrees are on all the earth.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 Keep his covenant in mind forever,
-\q the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.
+\q2 the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.
 \q
 \v 16 He calls to mind the covenant that he made with Abraham,
-\q and his oath to Isaac.
+\q2 and his oath to Isaac.
 \q
 \v 17 This is what he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
-\q and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.
+\q2 and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.
 \q
 \v 18 He said, "I will give you the land of Canaan
-\q as the assigned portion of your inheritance."
+\q2 as the assigned portion of your inheritance."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 When they were only few in number,
-\q so very few, and they were strangers in the land,
+\q2 so very few, and they were strangers in the land,
 \q
 \v 20 they wandered from nation to nation,
-\q from one kingdom to another.
+\q2 from one kingdom to another.
 \q
 \v 21 He did not allow anyone to oppress them;
-\q he punished kings for their sakes.
+\q2 he punished kings for their sakes.
 \q
-\v 22 he said, "Do not touch my anointed ones,
-\q and do not harm my prophets."
+\v 22 He said, "Do not touch my anointed ones,
+\q2 and do not harm my prophets."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 Sing to Yahweh, all the earth;
-\q announce his salvation day after day.
+\q2 announce his salvation day after day.
 \q
 \v 24 Declare his glory among the nations,
-\q his marvelous deeds among all the nations.
+\q2 his marvelous deeds among all the nations.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 25 For Yahweh is great and is to be praised greatly,
-\q and he is to be feared above all other gods.
+\q2 and he is to be feared above all other gods.
 \q
 \v 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
-\q but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.
+\q2 but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.
 \q
 \v 27 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.
-\q Strength and joy are in his place.
+\q2 Strength and joy are in his place.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 28 Ascribe to Yahweh, you clans of peoples,
-\q ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!
+\q2 ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!
 \q
 \v 29 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.
-\q Bring an offering and come before him.
-\q Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.
+\q2 Bring an offering and come before him.
+\q2 Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 30 Tremble before him, all the earth.
-\q The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.
+\q2 The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.
 \q
 \v 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
-\q let them say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns."
+\q2 let them say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 32 Let the sea roar, and that which fills it shout with joy.
-\q Let the fields be joyful, and all that is in them.
+\q2 Let the fields be joyful, and all that is in them.
 \q
 \v 33 Then let the trees in the forest shout for joy before Yahweh,
-\q for he is coming to judge the earth.
+\q2 for he is coming to judge the earth.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 34 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,
-\q for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.
+\q2 for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.
 \q
 \v 35 Then say, "Save us, God of our salvation.
-\q Gather us together and rescue us from the other nations,
+\q2 Gather us together and rescue us from the other nations,
 \q so that we may give thanks to your holy name
-\q and glory in your praises."
+\q2 and glory in your praises."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 36 May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised
-\q from everlasting to everlasting.
+\q2 from everlasting to everlasting.
 \m All the people said, "Amen" and praised Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1479,7 +1479,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 But that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
 \v 4 "Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: You will not build me a house in which to live.
-\v 5 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel to this present day. Instead, I have been living in a tent, a tabernacle, in various places.
+\v 5 For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel to this present day. Rather, I have been living in a tent, a tabernacle, in various places.
 \v 6 In all places I have moved among all Israel, did I ever say anything to any of Israel's judges, whom I appointed to shepherd my people, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'"
 
 \s5
@@ -1755,7 +1755,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Moses's sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
+\v 15 Moses' sons were Gershom and Eliezer.
 \p
 \v 16 Gershom's descendant was Shubael the oldest.
 \p
@@ -1765,7 +1765,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Hebron's descendants were Jeriah, the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
+\v 19 Hebron's descendants were Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
 \p
 \v 20 Uzziel's sons were Micah the oldest, and Ishiah the second.
 
@@ -1986,7 +1986,7 @@
 \v 25 His relatives from the clan of Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, Rehabiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zikri, and Zikri's son Shelomith.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Shelomith and his relatives were over all the treasuries holding the things that belong to Yahweh, that David the king, the family leaders, commanders over thousands and hundreds, and the army commanders had set apart.
+\v 26 Shelomith and his relatives were over all the treasuries holding the dedicated things that David the king, the family leaders, commanders over thousands and hundreds, and the army commanders had dedicated.
 \v 27 They set apart the plunder won in battles for the upkeep of the house of Yahweh.
 \v 28 They were also in charge of everything that was set apart to Yahweh by Samuel the prophet, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. Everything that was set apart to Yahweh was under the guard of Shelomith and his relatives.
 
@@ -2088,7 +2088,7 @@
 \v 1 David assembled all the officials of Israel at Jerusalem: the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king in their scheduled work, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, the managers over all the property and possessions of the king and of his sons, and the officers and fighting men, including the most skilled of them.
 
 \s5
-\v 2 Then David the king rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was my intention to build a house as a dwelling for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; a footstool for our God, and I have made preparations to build it.
+\v 2 Then David the king rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was my intention to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; a footstool for our God, and I have made preparations to build it.
 \v 3 But God said to me, 'You will not build a temple for my name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
 
 \s5
@@ -2127,7 +2127,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and brave. Do the work. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you nor abandon you until all the work for the service of house of Yahweh is finished.
+\v 20 David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and brave. Do the work. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you nor abandon you until all the work for the service of the house of Yahweh is finished.
 \v 21 See, here are the divisions of the priests and Levites for all the service in the house of God. They will be with you, together with all willing and skillful men, to assist you in the work and to perform the service. The officials and all the people are ready to follow your commands."
 
 \s5
@@ -2180,11 +2180,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 22 On that day, they ate and drank before Yahweh with great joy.
 \p They made Solomon, David's son, king a second time, and anointed him with Yahweh's authority to be ruler. They also anointed Zadok to be priest.
-\v 23 Then Solomon sat on Yahweh's throne as king instead of David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
+\v 23 Then Solomon sat on Yahweh's throne as king in place of David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 All the leaders, soldiers, and King David's sons gave allegiance to King Solomon.
-\v 25 Yahweh greatly honored Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had ever given to any king before him in Israel.
+\v 25 Yahweh greatly honored Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had never been given to any king before him in Israel.
 
 \s5
 \p

14-2CH.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Chronicles
 \toc1 The Second Book of the Chronicles
-\toc2 Second Chronicles
+\toc2 2 Chronicles
 \toc3 2Ch
 \mt Second Chronicles
 
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 \v 7 So send me a man who is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue wool, a man who knows how to make all kinds of engraved wood. He will be with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum trees from Lebanon,for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. See, my servants will be with your servants,
+\v 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum trees from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. See, my servants will be with your servants,
 \v 9 in order to prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build will be great and marvelous.
 \v 10 See, I will give to your servants, the men who will cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil." \f + \ft Some translations compare this section with 1 Kings 5:11 where the Hebrew reads: \fqa twenty thousand cors of wheat as food \fqa* . \f*
 
@@ -193,8 +193,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 It came about that the priests came out of the holy place. All the priests who were present had consecrated themselves to Yahweh, not ordering themselves according to their divisions.
-\v 12 Also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and brothers, clothed in fine linen and playing cymbals, lutes and harps, and they stood at the east end of the altar. With them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.
+\v 11 It came about that the priests came out of the holy place. All the priests who were present had consecrated themselves to Yahweh, regardless of their divisions.
+\v 12 Also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and brothers, clothed in fine linen and playing cymbals, lutes and harps, stood at the east end of the altar. With them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 It came about that the trumpeters and singers made music together, making one sound to be heard for praising and thanking Yahweh. They raised their voices with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments, and they praised Yahweh. They sang, "For he is good, for his covenant loyalty endures forever." Then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud.
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 Now it was in the heart of David my father, to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
 \v 8 But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart.
-\v 9 Nevertheless, you must not build the house; instead, your son, one who will come from your loins, will build the house for my name.'
+\v 9 Nevertheless, you are not to build the house; instead, your son, one who will come from your loins, will build the house for my name.'
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
@@ -329,12 +329,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have placed before you, and if you go worship other gods and bow down to them,
+\v 19 But if you turn away, and abandon my statutes and my commandments that I have placed before you, and if you go worship other gods and bow down to them,
 \v 20 then I will uproot them from out of my ground that I have given them. This house that I have set apart for my name, I will cast away from before me, and I will make it a proverb and a joke among all the peoples.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 Even though this temple is so lofty now, everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?'
-\v 22 Others will answer, 'Because they forsook Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'"
+\v 22 Others will answer, 'Because they abandoned Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 8
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@
 \v 8 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 However, Solomon did not make slaves of the people of Israel. Instead, they became his soldiers, his commanders, his officers, and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.
+\v 9 However, Solomon did not makes slaves of the people of Israel for his work. Instead, they were soldiers, commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen.
 \v 10 These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who belonged to King Solomon, 250 of them, who ruled over the people who did the work.
 
 \s5
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
-\v 1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She came with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she had come to Solomon, she told him all that was in her heart.
+\v 1 When the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She came with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she had come to Solomon, she told him all that was in her heart.
 \v 2 Solomon answered her all her questions; nothing was too difficult for Solomon; there was no question that he did not answer.
 
 \s5
@@ -477,9 +477,9 @@
 \v 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king said, "Come back to me on the third day."
 \v 13 King Rehoboam spoke to them harshly, ignoring the advice of the old men.
 \v 14 He spoke to them following the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn in events brought about by God, that Yahweh might carry out his word that Ahijah the Shilonite had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
 
 \s5
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@
 \v 4 He captured the fortified cities that belonged to Judah and came to Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, "This is what Yahweh says: You have forsaken me, so I have also given you over into Shishak's hand."
+\v 5 Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, "This is what Yahweh says: You have abandoned me, so I have also given you over into Shishak's hand."
 \v 6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "Yahweh is righteous."
 
 \s5
@@ -594,8 +594,8 @@
 \v 9 But did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own in the same way as the people of other lands do? Whoever comes to serve as a priest, sacrificing a young bull and seven rams, he becomes a priest of what are not gods.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests, descendants of Aaron, serving Yahweh, and the Levites, who are at their work.
-\v 11 Every morning and evening they burn for Yahweh burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also arrange the bread of the presence on the pure table; they also tend the lampstand of gold with its lamps, for them to burn every evening. We keep the commandments of Yahweh, our God, but you have forsaken him.
+\v 10 But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not abandoned him. We have priests, descendants of Aaron, serving Yahweh, and the Levites, who are at their work.
+\v 11 Every morning and evening they burn for Yahweh burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also arrange the bread of the presence on the pure table; they also tend the lampstand of gold with its lamps, for them to burn every evening. We keep the commandments of Yahweh, our God, but you have abandoned him.
 
 \s5
 \v 12 See, God is with us at our head, and his priests are here with the trumpets to sound an alarm against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."
@@ -651,12 +651,12 @@
 \c 15
 \p
 \v 1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.
-\v 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
+\v 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Now for a long period, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law.
 \v 4 But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
-\v 5 In those times there was no peace for him who traveled away, nor for him who traveled to here; instead, great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.
+\v 5 In those times there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, for there were great disturbances on all the inhabitants of the lands.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city, for God troubled them with all kinds of suffering.
@@ -681,7 +681,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 King Asa also removed Maakah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. He cut down the disgusting figure, crushed it to dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
+\v 16 King Asa also removed Maakah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. He cut down the disgusting figure, crushed it to dust, and burned it at the Kidron Brook.
 \v 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted all his days.
 
 \s5
@@ -727,8 +727,8 @@
 \v 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had captured.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and did not seek the Baals. \f + \ft Some ancient copies do not have \fqa David \fqa* , therefore, some modern translations leave it out. \f*
-\v 4 Instead, he relied on the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, not after the behavior of Israel.
+\v 3 Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David, and did not seek the Baals. \f + \ft Some ancient copies do not have \fqa David \fqa* , therefore, some modern translations leave it out. \f*
+\v 4 Instead, he relied on the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, not according to the practices of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 So Yahweh established the rule in his hand; all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat. He had riches and honor in abundance.
@@ -824,7 +824,7 @@
 \p
 \v 28 So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up against Ramoth Gilead.
 \v 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.
-\v 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not attack the unimportant or the important soldiers. Instead, attack only the king of Israel."
+\v 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."
 
 \s5
 \v 31 It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, "That is the king of Israel." They turned around to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him. God turned them away from him.
@@ -882,7 +882,7 @@
 \v 9 'If disaster comes on us—the sword, judgment, or plague, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and we will cry to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.' \f + \ft Instead of \fqa judgment \fqa* , some ancient and modern translations read \fqa flood \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
-\v 10 See now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; instead, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.
+\v 10 See now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; so, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.
 \v 11 See how they are rewarding us; they are coming to drive us out of your land that you have given us to inherit.
 
 \s5
@@ -961,9 +961,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 In Jehoram's days, Edom rebelled against the control of Judah, and they set a king over themselves.
+\v 8 In Jehoram's days, Edom rebelled against the control of Judah, and they set a king to reign over themselves.
 \v 9 Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots. It was night when he rose up and fought against the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders.
-\v 10 So Edom has been in rebellion from the control of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time from his control, because Jehoram had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.
+\v 10 So Edom has been in rebellion from the control of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time from his control, because Jehoram had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1097,19 +1097,19 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Now after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and did honor to the king. Then the king listened to them.
-\v 18 They forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.
+\v 18 They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.
 \v 19 Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to himself, Yahweh; the prophets testified against the people, but they refused to listen.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 The Spirit of God clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, "God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you."
+\v 20 The Spirit of God clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, "God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have abandoned Yahweh, he has also abandoned you."
 \v 21 But they plotted against him; at the king's command, they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh.
-\v 22 In this manner, Joash, the king, ignored the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada's son. When Zechariah was dying, he said, "May Yahweh see this and call you to account."
+\v 22 Joash the king, did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him, and so he killed Jehoiada's son. As Zechariah was dying, he said, "May Yahweh see this and call you to account."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 It came about at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem; they destroyed all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder from them to the king of Damascus.
-\v 24 Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on Joash.
+\v 24 Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on Joash.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1127,7 +1127,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king.
-\v 4 But he did not put the children of the murderers to death, but acted according to what was written in the law, in the book of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, "The fathers must not die for the children, nor must the children die for the fathers. Instead, every person must die for his own sin."
+\v 4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what was written in the law, in the book of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, "The fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers. But, each one must die for his own sin."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@
 \v 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign. He reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of his father, Amaziah, in everything.
+\v 4 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Amaziah had done.
 \v 5 He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to honor God. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text can be read either, \fqa to honor God \fqa*, or \fqa in the fear of God \fqa* or \fqa in seeing God \fqa* . Scholars are divided. \f* As long as he sought Yahweh, God made him prosper.
 
 \s5
@@ -1203,7 +1203,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 In addition, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
-\v 10 He built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had many herds in the lowlands and in the plains. He had farmers and vine growers in the hill country and in the fruitful fields, for he loved farming.
+\v 10 He built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had many herds in the lowlands and in the plains. He had farmers and vine growers in the hill country and in the fruitful fields, for he loved the soil.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 In addition, Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war in groups which were organized by their number that were counted by Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the officer, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.
@@ -1235,14 +1235,14 @@
 \c 27
 \p
 \v 1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok.
-\v 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, following the example of his father, Uzziah, in everything. He also refrained from going into the temple of Yahweh. But the people were still behaving corruptly.
+\v 2 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Uzziah had done. He also refrained from going into the temple of Yahweh. But the people were still behaving corruptly.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and on the hill of Ophel he built much.
 \v 4 Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 He fought also with the king of the people of Ammon and defeated them. In that same year, the people of Ammon gave him one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand measures of wheat, ten thousand measures of barley. The people of Ammon gave him the same in the second and third years.
+\v 5 He fought also with the king of the people of Ammon and defeated them. In that same year, the people of Ammon gave him one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand measures of barley. The people of Ammon gave him the same in the second and third years.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 So Jotham became powerful because he walked firmly before Yahweh his God.
@@ -1265,7 +1265,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 Therefore Yahweh the God of Ahaz gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and carried away from him a great crowd of captives, bringing them to Damascus. Ahaz was also given into the hand of the king of Israel who defeated him in a great slaughter.
-\v 6 For Pekah son of Remaliah in one day killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah and all of them were powerful men, because they had forsaken Yahweh the God of their ancestors.
+\v 6 For Pekah son of Remaliah in one day killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah and all of them were powerful men, because they had abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Zikri, a powerful man from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam, the official over the palace, and Elkanah, who was next to the king.
@@ -1273,7 +1273,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 But a prophet of Yahweh was there, his name was Oded. He went out to meet the army coming into Samaria. He said to them, "Because Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reached up to heaven.
-\v 10 Now you intend to keep the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem as your slaves. But are you not guilty of sins of your own against Yahweh your God?
+\v 10 And now you, people of Judah and Jerusalem, intend to make them your male slaves and female slaves. But are you not guilty of sins of your own against Yahweh your God?
 \v 11 Now then, listen to me: Send the captives back, those whom you have captured of your own brothers, for Yahweh's burning anger is on you."
 
 \s5
@@ -1320,7 +1320,7 @@
 \v 5 He said to them, "Listen to me, you Levites! Consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and carry away the filthiness from the holy place.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 For our ancestors were faithless and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God; they forsook him, turned away their faces from the place where Yahweh lives, and turned their backs on it.
+\v 6 For our ancestors were faithless and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God; they abandoned him, turned away their faces from the place where Yahweh lives, and turned their backs on it.
 \v 7 Also they shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps; they did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -1341,7 +1341,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 They gathered their brothers, they consecrated themselves, and they went in, as the king commanded, following the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh.
-\v 16 The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought out everything unclean that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the courtyard of the house. The Levites took it to carry it out to the brook Kidron.
+\v 16 The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought out everything unclean that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the courtyard of the house. The Levites took it to carry it out to the Kidron Brook.
 \v 17 Now they began the consecration on the first day of the first month. By the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of Yahweh. Then for eight more days they consecrated the house of Yahweh. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
 
 \s5
@@ -1401,7 +1401,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Do not be like your ancestors or your brothers, who were faithless against Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see.
-\v 8 Now do not stiffen your necks, as your ancestors were; instead, give yourselves to Yahweh and come into his holy place, which he has consecrated forever, and worship Yahweh your God, so that his burning anger may turn away from you.
+\v 8 Now do not stiffen your necks, as your ancestors did; instead, give yourselves to Yahweh and come into his holy place, which he has consecrated forever, and worship Yahweh your God, so that his burning anger may turn away from you.
 \v 9 For if you turn back to Yahweh, your brothers and children will find compassion before those who led them away as prisoners, and they will come back into this land. For Yahweh your God, is gracious and merciful, and will not turn his face away from you, if you return to him."
 
 \s5
@@ -1413,7 +1413,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Many people, a very great assembly, gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month.
-\v 14 They rose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense; they threw them into the brook Kidron.
+\v 14 They rose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense; they threw them into the Kidron Brook.
 \v 15 Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -1477,7 +1477,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 They distributed to the priests who were recorded in the genealogies of their ancestors, and the same to the Levites twenty years old and more, according to their offices and their divisions.
-\v 18 They included all their little ones, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, through the whole community, for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy.
+\v 18 They recorded in the genealogy all their little ones, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, through the whole community, for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy.
 \v 19 For the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were in the fields of the villages belonging to their cities, or in every city, there were men assigned by name to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of their ancestors as being among the Levites.
 
 \s5
@@ -1601,7 +1601,7 @@
 \p
 \v 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
 \v 22 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh, his father, had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved figures that Manasseh his father had made, and he worshiped them.
-\v 23 He did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. Instead, this same Amon trespassed more and more.
+\v 23 He did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. Instead, Amon trespassed more and more.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 His servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.
@@ -1657,7 +1657,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 23 She said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,
 \v 24 'This is what Yahweh says: See, I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that have been written in the book that they have read before the king of Judah.
-\v 25 This will happen because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, and they have provoked me to anger by all the works of their hands. Therefore, my anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.'
+\v 25 This will happen because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, and they have provoked me to anger by all the works of their hands. Therefore, my anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.'
 
 \s5
 \v 26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh what he should do, this is what you will say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: About the words that you heard,
@@ -1735,7 +1735,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 As for the other matters concerning Josiah, and his good deeds done in obedience to what is written in the law of Yahweh—
-\v 27 and his deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
+\v 27 his deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
 
 \s5
 \c 36
@@ -1759,7 +1759,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh.
-\v 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable things from the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah, his relative, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
+\v 10 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable things from the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah, his relative, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \p

15-EZR.usfm

@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 \h Ezra
 \toc1 The Book of Ezra
 \toc2 Ezra
-\toc3 Ezra
+\toc3 Ezr
 \mt Ezra
 
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Yahweh fulfilled his word that came from the mouth of Jeremiah, and stirred Cyrus's spirit. Cyrus's voice went out over his entire kingdom. This is what was written and spoken:
+\v 1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Yahweh fulfilled his word that came from the mouth of Jeremiah. He stirred Cyrus' spirit, and Cyrus' voice went out over his entire kingdom. This is what was written and spoken:
 \p
 \v 2 "Cyrus, king of Persia, says: Yahweh, God of Heaven, gave me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he appointed me to build for him a house in Jerusalem in Judah.
 
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 36 The priests: descendants of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua: 973.
-\v 36 The priests: descendants of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua: 973.
 \v 37 Immer's descendants: 1,052.
 \v 38 Pashhur's descendants: 1,247.
 \v 39 Harim's descendants: 1,017.
@@ -201,8 +200,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 So the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah; they made the Judeans afraid to build.
-\v 5 They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of Cyrus's days and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.
-\v 6 Then at the beginning of Ahasuerus's \f + \ft Also known as \fqa Xerxes \fqa* . \f* reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
+\v 5 They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of the days of Cyrus and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.
+\v 6 Then at the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, \f + \ft Also known as \fqa Ahasuerus \fqa* . \f* they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -242,7 +241,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 When King Artaxerxes's decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.
+\v 23 When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.
 \p
 \v 24 So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
 
@@ -315,7 +314,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 13 Then because of the decree sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates, did everything that King Darius had ordered.
 \v 14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, the descendant of Iddo. They completed their buildings according to the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes the king of Persia.
-\v 15 The house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius's reign.
+\v 15 The house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius' reign.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -352,7 +351,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 This was the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, the scribe of the words of the commandments of Yahweh, and of his statutes for Israel.
+\v 11 This was the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, an expert in the words of the commandments of Yahweh, and in his statutes for Israel.
 
 \p
 \v 12 "The King of kings Artaxerxes, to the priest Ezra, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven:
@@ -492,7 +491,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Yet now for a short time, mercy from Yahweh our God has come to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a foothold in his holy place. This was for our God to enlighten our eyes and to give us a little relief in our slavery.
-\v 9 For we are slaves, but our God has not forgotten us but has extended covenant faithfulness to us. He has done this in the sight of the king of Persia in order to give us new strength, so we could rebuild the house of our God and raise its ruins. He did this so that he could give us a wall of safety in Judah and Jerusalem.
+\v 9 For we are slaves, but our God has not forgotten us in our slavery. Rather, he has extended covenant faithfulness to us before the king of Persia. He has given us new strength to rebuild the house of our God and raise its ruins, and he has given us a wall of safety in Judah and Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 But now, our God, what can we say after this? We have forgotten your commands,

16-NEH.usfm

@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 4
 \p
-\v 1 Now when Sanballat heard we were building the wall, it burned within him, and he was furiously angry, and he mocked the Jews.
+\v 1 Now when Sanballat heard we were building the wall, anger burned within him, and he was furiously angry, and he mocked the Jews.
 \v 2 In the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the city for themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish the work in a day? Will they bring to life the stones from the piles of rubble after they were burned?
 \v 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, "If only a fox went up on what they are building, it would break down their stone wall!"
 
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@
 \v 42 The descendants of Harim, 1,017.
 
 \s5
-\p>>
+\p
 \v 43 The Levites: The descendants of Jeshua, through the descendants of Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah, 74.
 \p
 \v 44 The singers: The descendants of Asaph, 148.
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@
 \c 9
 \p
 \v 1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel were assembled and they were fasting, and they were wearing sackcloth, and they put dust on their heads.
-\v 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all the foreigners. They stood and confessed their own sins and the evil actions of their ancestors.
+\v 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all the foreigners. They stood and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 They stood up in their places, and for one-fourth of the day they read from the book of the law of Yahweh their God. For another fourth of the day they were confessing and bowing down before Yahweh their God.
@@ -527,13 +527,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 For many years you put up with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
-\v 31 But in your great mercies you did not destroy them completely or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
+\v 31 But in your great mercies you did not destroy them completely or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 Now therefore, our God—you great, mighty, and awesome God who keep your covenant and steadfast love—do not let all this hardship seem little to you that has come on us, on our kings, on our leaders, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our ancestors, and on all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
 \v 33 You are just in everything that has come on us, for you have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
-\v 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law, nor paid attention to your commandments or your covenant decrees by which you warned them.
+\v 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law, nor paid attention to your commandments or your laws by which you warned them.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 Even in their own kingdom, while they enjoyed your great goodness to them, in the large and productive land you set before them, they did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds.

17-EST.usfm

@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 In the days of Ahasuerus \f + \ft \fqa Ahasuerus \fqa* \ft is also known as \fqa Xerxes \fqa* . \f* (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India as far as Cush, over 127 provinces),
-\v 2 in those days King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the fortress of Susa.
+\v 1 In the days of Xerxes \f + \ft \fqa Xerxes \fqa* \ft is also known as \fqa Ahasuerus \fqa* . \f* (this is Xerxes who reigned from India as far as Cush, over 127 provinces),
+\v 2 in those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the fortress of Susa.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 In the third year of his reign, he gave a feast to all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media, the noblemen, and governors of the provinces were in his presence.
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 9 Also, Queen Vashti gave a feast for the women in the royal palace of King Ahasuerus.
+\v 9 Also, Queen Vashti gave a feast for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
 \v 10 On the seventh day, when the king's heart was feeling happy because of the wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Karkas (the seven officials who served before him),
 \v 11 to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for her features were stunning.
 
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@
 \p
 \v 13 So the king conferred with the men who were known to be wise, who understood the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were expert in law and judgment).
 \v 14 Now the ones close to him were Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memukan, seven princes of Persia and Media. They had access to the king, and they held the highest offices within the kingdom.
-\v 15 "In compliance with the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus, which was brought to her by the officials?"
+\v 15 "In compliance with the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she did not obey the command of King Xerxes, which was brought to her by the officials?"
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Memukan said in the presence of the king and the officials, "Not only against the king has Vashti the queen done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
-\v 17 For the matter of the queen will become known to all women. It will cause them to treat their husbands with contempt. They will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought before him, but she refused.'
+\v 16 Memukan said in the presence of the king and the officials, "Not only against the king has Vashti the queen done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Xerxes.
+\v 17 For the matter of the queen will become known to all women. It will cause them to treat their husbands with contempt. They will say, 'King Xerxes commanded Vashti the queen to be brought before him, but she refused.'
 \v 18 Before the end of this very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the matter of the queen will say the same thing to all the king's officials. There will be much contempt and anger.
 
 \s5
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus subsided, he thought about Vashti and what she had done. He also thought about the decree that he had made against her.
+\v 1 After these things, when the anger of King Xerxes subsided, he thought about Vashti and what she had done. He also thought about the decree that he had made against her.
 \v 2 Then the king's young men who served him said, "Let a search be made on the king's behalf for beautiful young virgins.
 
 \s5
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
 \v 6 He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the exiles along with those who had been taken into exile with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia took into exile.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 He was caring for Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely in appearance. Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
+\v 7 He was caring for Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely in appearance. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 When the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus—after she had obeyed the regulations for the women for twelve months, for this was how the time of their beauty treatments was completed: six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics—
+\v 12 When the turn came for each girl to go to King Xerxes—after she had obeyed the regulations for the women for twelve months, for this was how the time of their beauty treatments was completed: six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics—
 \v 13 when a young woman went to the king, whatever she desired was given to her from the house of the women, for her to take to the palace.
 
 \s5
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 Now when the time came for Esther (daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter) to go in to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai the king's official, who was in charge of the women, suggested. Now Esther received the favor of all who saw her.
 \p
-\v 16 Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into the royal residence on the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
+\v 16 Esther was taken to King Xerxes into the royal residence on the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women and she received favor and kindness before him, more than all the other virgins. So he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 \p
 \v 19 Now when the virgins had been gathered together a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate.
 \v 20 Esther had not yet told anyone about her relatives or her people, as Mordecai had instructed her. She continued to follow Mordecai's advice, as she had done when she was raised by him.
-\v 21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, two of the king's officials, Bigthana and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and sought to do harm to King Ahasuerus.
+\v 21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, two of the king's officials, Bigthana and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and sought to do harm to King Xerxes.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 When the matter was made known to Mordecai, he told Queen Esther, and Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai.
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and placed his seat of authority above all the officials who were with him.
-\v 2 All the king's servants who were at the king's gate kneeling down and bowing down to Haman, as the king had ordered them to do. But Mordecai did not kneel or bowed down.
+\v 1 After these things, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and placed his seat of authority above all the officials who were with him.
+\v 2 All the king's servants who were at the king's gate knelt down and bowed down to Haman, as the king had ordered them to do. But Mordecai did not kneel or bow down.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?"
@@ -118,14 +118,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not kneel and show him respect, Haman was filled with rage.
-\v 6 He had contempt for the idea of killing only Mordecai, for the king's servants had told him who Mordecai's people were. Haman sought to exterminate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus.
+\v 6 He had contempt for the idea of killing only Mordecai, for the king's servants had told him who Mordecai's people were. Haman sought to exterminate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the entire kingdom of Xerxes.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 In the first month (which is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the Pur—that is the lot—was thrown before Haman, to select a day and month. They cast the lot over and over until the lot fell on the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar).
+\v 7 In the first month (which is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, the Pur—that is the lot—was thrown before Haman, to select a day and month. They cast the lot over and over until the lot fell on the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar).
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and distributed among all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not suitable for the king to let them stay.
+\v 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people scattered and distributed among all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not suitable for the king to let them stay.
 \v 9 If it is pleasing to the king, give a command to kill them, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king's business, for them to put it into the king's treasury."
 
 \s5
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree containing all that Haman had commanded was written to the king's provincial governors, those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various peoples, and to the officials of all the people, to every province in their own writing, and to every people in their own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with his ring.
+\v 12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree containing all that Haman had commanded was written to the king's provincial governors, those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various peoples, and to the officials of all the people, to every province in their own writing, and to every people in their own language. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and was sealed with his ring.
 \v 13 Letters were delivered by the hand of couriers to all the king's provinces, to annihilate, kill, and destroy all Jews, from young to old, children and women, in one day—on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar)—and to plunder their possessions.
 
 \s5
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 So Hathak went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king's gate.
 \v 7 Mordecai reported to him all that had happened to him, and the total amount of the silver that Haman had promised to weigh out and put into the king's treasuries in order to put the Jews to death.
-\v 8 He also gave him a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa for the Jews' destruction. He did this so that Hathak could show it to Esther, and that he should give her the responsibility of going to the king to beg for his favor, and to plead with him on behalf of her people.
+\v 8 He also gave him a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa for the Jews' destruction. He did this so that Hathak could show it to Esther, and that he should make it known to her and give her a solemn command to go to the king to beg for his favor, and to plead with him on behalf of her people.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@
 \c 6
 \p
 \v 1 That night the king could not sleep. He commanded servants to bring the book of the records of the events of his reign, and they were being read aloud to the king.
-\v 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officials who guarded the entrance, who had tried to harm King Ahasuerus.
+\v 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officials who guarded the entrance, who had tried to harm King Xerxes.
 \v 3 The king asked, "What great honor has been given to Mordecai for doing this?" Then the king's young men who served him said, "Nothing was done for him."
 
 \s5
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 Then Queen Esther replied, "If I have found favor in your eyes, king, and if it pleases you, let my life be given to me—this is my petition, and I request this also for my people.
 \v 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had only been sold into slavery, as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, for no such distress as this would justify disturbing the king."
-\v 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen, "Who is he? Where is this person to be found who has filled his heart to do such a thing?"
+\v 5 Then King Xerxes said to Esther the queen, "Who is he? Where is this person to be found who has filled his heart to do such a thing?"
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Esther said, "The adversary, that enemy, is this evil Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 8
 \p
-\v 1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai began to serve before the king, for Esther told the king how Mordecai was related to her.
+\v 1 On that day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai began to serve before the king, for Esther told the king how Mordecai was related to her.
 \v 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's estate.
 
 \s5
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@
 \v 6 For how could I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How could I endure watching the destruction of my relatives?"
 
 \s5
-\v 7 King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Look, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he was going to attack the Jews.
+\v 7 King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Look, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he was going to attack the Jews.
 \v 8 Write another decree for the Jews in the name of the king and seal it with the king's ring. For the decree that has already been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."
 
 \s5
@@ -280,9 +280,9 @@
 \v 9 Then the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month. A decree was written containing all that Mordecai was commanding concerning the Jews. It was written to the provincial governors, the governors and officials of the provinces that were located from India to Cush, 127 provinces, to every province written in their own writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing and language.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the letters by couriers riding on horses, warhorses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud.
+\v 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the letters by couriers riding on horses, warhorses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud.
 \v 11 The king gave to the Jews who were in every city permission to gather together and to make a stand to protect their lives: To annihiliate, to kill, and to destroy any armed force from any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, or to plunder their possessions.
-\v 12 This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
+\v 12 This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Xerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 A copy of the decree was to be issued as a law in every province and publicly displayed to all the peoples. The Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies.
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@
 \c 9
 \p
 \v 1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king's law and decree were about to be carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was reversed. The Jews gained power over those who hated them.
-\v 2 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay hands on those who tried to bring disaster on them. No one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples.
+\v 2 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes, to lay hands on those who tried to bring disaster on them. No one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 All the officials of the provinces, the provincial governors, the governors, and the king's administrators, helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them.
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
+\v 20 Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,
 \v 21 obligating them to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month Adar every year.
 \v 22 These were the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and the month when their sorrow turned to joy, and mourning into a day of celebration. They were to make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.
 
@@ -353,16 +353,16 @@
 \v 29 Queen Esther daughter of Abihail and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority and confirmed this second letter about Purim.
 
 \s5
-\v 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, wishing the Jews safety and truth.
+\v 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes, wishing the Jews safety and truth.
 \v 31 These letters confirmed the days of Purim at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated the Jews. The Jews accepted this obligation for themselves and their descendants, just as also they accepted times of fasting and lamenting.
 \v 32 The command of Esther confirmed these regulations regarding Purim, and it was written in the book.
 
 \s5
 \c 10
 \p
-\v 1 Then King Ahasuerus imposed a tax on the land and on the coastlands along the sea.
+\v 1 Then King Xerxes imposed a tax on the land and on the coastlands along the sea.
 \v 2 All the achievements of his power and might, together with the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, they are written in the book of the events of the reigns of the kings of Media and Persia.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus. He was great among the Jews and shown favor by his many Jewish brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and he spoke for the peace of all his people.
+\v 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes. He was great among the Jews and shown favor by his many Jewish brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and he spoke for the peace of all his people.
 

21-ECC.usfm

@@ -11,22 +11,23 @@
 \p
 \v 1 These are the words of the Teacher, the descendant of David and king in Jerusalem.
 \p
-\v 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher.
+\q1
+\v 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless! 
+\q2 says the Teacher.
 \q1 "Absolutely meaningless!
 \q2 Everything is meaningless!"
-\q1
 \p
-\v 3 What profit does a man gain from all the work that he labors at under the sun?
+\q1
+\v 3 What profit does a man gain from all the work 
+\q2 that he labors at under the sun?
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 One generation goes,
-\q2 and another generation comes,
-\q1 but the earth remains forever.
+\v 4 One generation goes, and another generation comes,
+\q2 but the earth remains forever.
 \q1
-\v 5 The sun rises,
-\q2 and it goes down
-\q1 and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
+\v 5 The sun rises,and it goes down
+\q2 and hurries back to the place where it rises again.
 \q1
 \v 6 The wind blows south
 \q2 and circles around to the north,
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@
 \q1
 \v 9 Whatever has been is what will be,
 \q2 and whatever has been done is what will be done.
-\q1 There is nothing new under the sun.
+\q2 There is nothing new under the sun.
 \q1
 \v 10 Is there anything about which it may be said,
 \q2 'Look, this is new'?
@@ -57,25 +58,27 @@
 \q2 during ages which came long before us.
 \q1
 \v 11 No one seems to remember the things that happened in ancient times,
-\q2 and the things that happened much later
-\q2 and that will happen in the future
+\q2 and the things that happened much later and that will happen in the future
 \q1 will not likely be remembered either."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 12 I am the Teacher, and I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
 \v 13 I applied my mind to study and to search out by wisdom everything that is done under heaven. That search is a burdensome task that God has given to the children of mankind to be busy with.
 \v 14 I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and look, they all are meaningless and chasing the wind.
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 15 The twisted cannot be straightened!
-\q1 The missing cannot be counted!
+\q2 The missing cannot be counted!
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 I have spoken to my heart, saying, "Look, I have acquired greater wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My mind has seen great wisdom and knowledge."
 \v 17 So I applied my heart to know wisdom and also madness and folly. I came to understand that this also was an attempt to shepherd the wind.
 \p
-\v 18 For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
+\q1
+\v 18 For in the abundance of wisdom there is much frustration, 
+\q2 and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -87,6 +90,7 @@
 \v 3 I explored in my heart how to gratify myself with wine. I let my mind guide me with wisdom although I was still holding on to folly. I wanted to find out what is good for the children of mankind to do under heaven during the days of their lives.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 4 I accomplished great things. I built for myself houses and planted for myself vineyards.
 \v 5 I built for myself gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
 \v 6 I created pools of water to water a forest where trees were grown.
@@ -97,12 +101,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 So I became greater and wealthier than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me.
-\q1
 \p
-\v 10 Whatever my eyes desired,
-\q2 I did not withhold from them.
-\q1 I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
-\q2 because my heart rejoiced in all my labor
+\q1
+\v 10 Whatever my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them.
+\q2 I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
+\q1 because my heart rejoiced in all my labor
 \q2 and pleasure was my reward for all my labor.
 
 \s5
@@ -111,8 +114,9 @@
 \q2 and on the labor that I had done,
 \q1 but again, everything was meaningless—like chasing the wind.
 \q2 There was no profit under the sun in it.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,
 \q2 and also madness and folly.
 \q1 For what more can the man who becomes the next king do
@@ -120,22 +124,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 13 Then I began to understand
-\q2 that wisdom has advantages over folly,
+\v 13 Then I began to understand that wisdom has advantages over folly,
 \q2 just as light is more profitable than darkness.
 \q1
 \v 14 The wise man uses his eyes in his head to see where he is going,
 \q2 but the fool walks in darkness,
-\q1 although I know the same event happens to all of them.
+\q1 although I know 
+\q2 the same event happens to all of them.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
 \v 15 Then I said in my heart,
-\q2 "What happens to the fool,
-\q2 will also happen to me.
-\q1 So what difference does it make if I am very wise?"
-\q2 I concluded in my heart,
+\q1 "What happens to the fool, will also happen to me.
+\q2 So what difference does it make if I am very wise?"
+\q1 I concluded in my heart,
 \q2 "This too is meaningless."
 \q1
 \v 16 For the wise man, like the fool, is not remembered for very long.
@@ -143,6 +145,7 @@
 \q1 The wise man dies just like the fool dies.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 17 So I detested life because all the work done under the sun was evil to me. This was because everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
 \v 18 I hated all my toil for which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it behind to the man who comes after me.
 
@@ -166,34 +169,37 @@
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 For everything there is an appointed time, and a season for every matter under heaven.
 \q1
+\v 1 For everything there is an appointed time, 
+\q2 and a season for every matter under heaven.
+\q2
 \v 2 There is a time to be born and a time to die,
-\q1 a time to plant and a time to pull up plants,
-\q1
+\q2 a time to plant and a time to pull up plants,
+\q2
 \v 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
-\q1 a time to tear down and a time to build up.
+\q2 a time to tear down and a time to build up.
 
 \s5
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 4 There is a time to weep and a time to laugh,
-\q1 a time to mourn and a time to dance,
-\q1
+\q2 a time to mourn and a time to dance,
+\q2
 \v 5 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones,
-\q1 a time to embrace other people, and a time to refrain from embracing.
+\q2 a time to embrace other people, and a time to refrain from embracing.
 
 \s5
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 6 There is a time to look for things and a time to stop looking,
-\q1 a time to keep things and a time to throw away things,
-\q1
+\q2 a time to keep things and a time to throw away things,
+\q2
 \v 7 a time to tear clothing and a time to repair clothing,
-\q1 a time to keep silent and a time to speak.
+\q2 a time to keep silent and a time to speak.
 
 \s5
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 8 There is a time to love and a time to hate,
-\q1 a time for war and a time for peace.
+\q2 a time for war and a time for peace.
+
 \p
 \v 9 What profit does the worker gain in his labor?
 \v 10 I have seen the work that God has given to human beings to complete.
@@ -207,17 +213,23 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 I know that whatever God does lasts forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away, because it is God who has done it so that people will approach him with honor.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 15 Whatever exists has already existed;
 \q2 whatever will exist has already existed.
-\q1 God makes human beings seek hidden things. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa God makes human beings seek hidden things \fqa* , other modern translations interpret this line in different ways. \f*
+\q2 God makes human beings seek hidden things. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa God makes human beings seek hidden things \fqa* , other modern translations interpret this line in different ways. \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 I have seen the wickedness that is under the sun, where there should be justice, and in place of righteousness, wickedness was there.
+\v 16 I have seen the wickedness that is under the sun, 
+\q1 where there should be justice, 
+\q2 and in place of righteousness, wickedness was there.
 \p
-\v 17 I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked at the right time for every matter and every deed."
+\v 17 I said in my heart, 
+\q1 "God will judge 
+\q2 the righteous and the wicked 
+\q1 at the right time for every matter and every deed."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -242,46 +254,53 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 2 So I considered those who are already dead
-\q2 more fortunate than the living, who are still alive.
+\v 2 So I considered those 
+\q2 who are already dead
+\q1 more fortunate than the living, 
+\q2 who are still alive.
 \q1
-\v 3 However, more fortunate than both of them is the one who has not yet lived,
-\q2 the one who has not seen any of the evil acts that are done under the sun.
+\v 3 However, more fortunate than both of them 
+\q2 is the one who has not yet lived,
+\q1 the one who has not seen any of the evil acts 
+\q2 that are done under the sun.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then I saw that every act of labor and every skillful work became the envy of one's neighbor. This also is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 5 The fool folds his hands and does not work,
 \q2 so his food is his own flesh.
 \q1
 \v 6 But better is a handful of profit with quiet work
-\q2 than two handfuls with the labor that tries to shepherd the wind.
+\q2 than two handfuls with the labor 
+\q2 that tries to shepherd the wind.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 I returned and I saw something meaningless under the sun.
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 8 There is the kind of man who is alone.
 \q2 He does not have a companion, no son or brother,
 \q1 and yet there is no end to all his work,
 \q2 and his eyes are not satisfied with gaining wealth.
 \q1 He wonders, "For whom am I toiling
 \q2 and depriving myself of pleasure?"
-\q1 This also is meaningless—a bad situation.
+\q1 This also is meaningless—
+\q2 a bad situation.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 9 Two people work better than one;
 \q2 together they can earn a good wage for their labor.
 \q1
-\v 10 For if one falls, the other can lift up his friend.
-\q2 However, sorrow follows the one who is alone when he falls
+\v 10 For if one falls, 
+\q2 the other can lift up his friend.
+\q1 However, woe to the one who is alone when he falls
 \q2 if there is no one to lift him up.
 \q1
 \v 11 If two lie down together, they can be warm,
@@ -291,9 +310,10 @@
 \q1
 \v 12 One man alone can be overpowered,
 \q2 but two can withstand an attack,
-\q2 and a three-strand rope is not quickly broken.
+\q1 and a three-strand rope is not quickly broken.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to listen to warnings.
 \v 14 This is true even if the young man becomes king from prison, or even if he was born poor in his kingdom.
 
@@ -307,11 +327,13 @@
 \v 1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not understand that they are doing what is wrong.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 2 Do not be too quick to speak with your mouth,
-\q2 and do not let your heart be too quick to bring any matter up before God.
-\q1 God is in heaven, but you are on earth,
+\q2 and do not let your heart be too quick 
+\q2 to bring any matter up before God.
+\q1 God is in heaven, 
+\q2 but you are on earth,
 \q2 so let your words be few.
 \q1
 \v 3 If you have too many things to do and worry about, you will probably have bad dreams.
@@ -327,45 +349,52 @@
 \v 7 For when there are many dreams and many words, they are meaningless. Instead, fear God!
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 8 When you see the poor being oppressed and robbed of just and right treatment in your province, do not be astonished as if no one knows, because there are people in power who watch those under them, and there are even higher ones over them.
 \v 9 In addition, the produce of the land is for everyone, and the king himself takes produce from the fields.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 10 Whoever loves silver will not be satisfied with silver,
 \q2 nor will he who loves wealth be satisfied with his income.
 \q1 This, too, is meaningless.
-\q1
+
 \p
-\v 11 As prosperity increases, so also do the people who consume it.
+\q
+\v 11 As prosperity increases, 
+\q2 so also do the people who consume it.
 \q1 What advantage in wealth is there to the owner
 \q2 except to watch it with his eyes?
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1 
 \v 12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
 \q2 whether he eats little or a lot,
-\q1 but the wealth of a rich person does not allow him to sleep well.
+\q1 but the wealth of a rich person 
+\q2 does not allow him to sleep well.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun:
 \q1 riches hoarded by the owner, resulting in his own misery.
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 14 When the rich man loses his wealth through bad luck,
-\q2 his own son, one whom he has fathered, is left with nothing in his hands.
+\q1 his own son, one whom he has fathered, 
+\q2 is left with nothing in his hands.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 15 As a man comes from his mother's womb,
 \q2 so also he will leave naked.
-\q1 He can take none of the fruits of his labor in his hand.
+\q1 He can take none of the fruits of his labor 
+\q2 in his hand.
 \p
 \v 16 Another evil is
 \q1 that as a person comes, so he goes away.
-\q1 So what profit is there for him who labors for the wind?
+\q2 So what profit is there for him 
+\q2 who labors for the wind?
 \q1
 \v 17 During his days he eats with darkness
 \q2 and is greatly distressed with sickness and anger.
@@ -382,9 +411,10 @@
 \c 6
 \p
 \v 1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavy on men.
-\v 2 God might give riches, wealth, and honor to a man so that he lacks nothing that he desires for himself, but then God gives him no ability to enjoy it. Instead, someone else uses his things. This is meaningless and a terrible affliction.
+\v 2 God gives riches, wealth, and honor to a man so that he lacks nothing that he desires for himself, but then God gives him no ability to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger enjoys them. This is meaningless and a terrible affliction.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but if his heart is not satisfied with good and he is not buried, then I say that a baby that is born dead is better off than he is.
 \v 4 Such a baby is born without meaning and passes away in darkness, and its name is covered in darkness.
 
@@ -393,30 +423,38 @@
 \v 6 Even if a man should live for two thousand years but does not learn to enjoy good things, he goes to the same place as everyone else.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 7 All a man's labor is for his mouth,
 \q2 yet his appetite is not satisfied.
 \q1
-\v 8 Indeed, what advantage has the wise person over the fool?
-\q2 What advantage does the poor man have
-\q3 even if he knows how to act in front of other people?
+\v 8 Indeed, what advantage has the wise person 
+\q2 over the fool?
+\q1 What advantage does the poor man have
+\q2 even if he knows how to act in front of other people?
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 9 What the eye sees is better than what the soul wanders after.
-\q1 This also is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
-\q1
+\v 9 What the eye sees 
+\q2 is better than what the soul wanders after.
+\q1 This also is meaningless—
+\q2 like chasing the wind.
+
 \p
-\v 10 Whatever has existed has already been given its name, and what mankind is like has already been known. So it has become useless for a man to dispute with the one who is stronger than he is.
+\q1
+\v 10 Whatever has existed has already been given its name, 
+\q2 and what mankind is like has already been known. 
+\q1 So it has become useless for a man to dispute 
+\q2 with the one who is stronger than he is.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 11 The more words there are, the more meaningless they become.
-\q1 What advantage is that to a man?
+\v 11 The more words there are, 
+\q2 the more meaningless they become.
+\q2 What advantage is that to a man?
+
 \p
-\v 12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow?
-\q1 Who can tell a person what will happen under the sun after he is gone?
+\v 12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell a person what will happen under the sun after he is gone?
 
 \s5
 \c 7
@@ -445,17 +483,17 @@
 \q1
 \v 6 For like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot,
 \q2 so also is the laughter of fools.
-\q1 This too is meaningless.
+\q2 This too is meaningless.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 7 Extortion certainly makes a wise man foolish,
 \q2 and a bribe corrupts the heart.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 8 Better is the end of a matter than the beginning;
 \q2 and the people patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.
 \q1
@@ -463,64 +501,72 @@
 \q2 for anger resides in the hearts of fools.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 10 Do not say, "Why were the days of old better than these?"
 \q2 For it is not because of wisdom that you ask this question.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good.
 \q2 It benefits those who see the sun.
 \q1
-\v 12 For wisdom provides protection as money can provide protection,
-\q2 but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it.
+\v 12 For wisdom provides protection 
+\q2 as money can provide protection,
+\q1 but the advantage of knowledge 
+\q2 is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Consider the deeds of God:
-\q1 Who can straighten out anything he has made crooked?
+\p
+\q1 Who can straighten out 
+\q2 anything he has made crooked?
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 14 When times are good, live happily in that good,
 \q2 but when times are bad, consider this:
-\q1 God has allowed both to exist side by side.
-\q2 For this reason, no one will find out anything that is coming after him.
+\q1 God has allowed both 
+\q2 to exist side by side.
+\q1 For this reason, no one will find out 
+\q2 anything that is coming after him.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 In my meaningless life I have seen everything.
 \q1 There is a righteous person who perishes in spite of his righteousness,
-\q1 and there is a wicked person who lives a long life in spite of his evil deeds.
+\q2 and there is a wicked person who lives a long life in spite of his evil deeds.
 \q1
 \v 16 Do not be self-righteous,
 \q2 wise in your own eyes.
-\q1 Why should you destroy yourself?
+\q2 Why should you destroy yourself?
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 17 Do not be too wicked or foolish.
+\v 17 Do not be too wicked
+\q2  or foolish.
 \q2 Why should you die before your time?
 \q1
 \v 18 It is good that you should take hold of this wisdom,
 \q2 and that you should not let go of righteousness.
-\q1 For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa will meet all his obligations \fqa* , many modern translations have different interpretations of this difficult passage. \f*
+\q2 For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa will meet all his obligations \fqa* , many modern translations have different interpretations of this difficult passage. \f*
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 19 Wisdom is powerful in the wise man,
 \q2 more than ten rulers in a city.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 20 There is not a righteous man on earth
 \q2 who does good and never sins.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 21 Do not listen to every word that is spoken,
 \q2 because you might hear your servant curse you.
 \q1
@@ -530,6 +576,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 All this have I proven by wisdom. I said,
+\p
 \q1 "I will be wise,"
 \q2 but it was more than I could be.
 \q1
@@ -542,21 +589,30 @@
 \q2 and that folly is madness.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 26 I found that more bitter than death is any woman
-\q2 whose heart is full of snares and nets,
+\q1
+\v 26 I found that more bitter than death
+\q2  is any woman 
+\q1 whose heart is full of snares and nets,
 \q2 and whose hands are chains.
 \q1 Whoever pleases God will escape from her,
 \q2 but the sinner will be caught by her.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 "Consider what I have discovered," says the Teacher. "I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality.
-\v 28 This is what I am still looking for, but I have not found it. I did find one righteous man among a thousand, but a woman among all those I did not find.
+\v 27 "Consider what I have discovered," says the Teacher.
+\q1  "I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality.
+\q2
+\v 28 This is what I am still looking for, 
+\q2 but I have not found it. 
+\q1 I did find one righteous man among a thousand, 
+\q2 but a woman among all those I did not find.
 
 \s5
-\v 29 I have discovered only this: God created humanity upright, but they have gone away looking for many difficulties."
+\q1
+\v 29 I have discovered only this: 
+\q2 God created humanity upright, 
+\q2 but they have gone away looking for many difficulties."
 
 \s5
 \c 8
@@ -568,20 +624,22 @@
 \q2 and the hardness of his face is changed.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 2 I advise you to obey the king's command because of God's oath to protect him.
 \v 3 Do not hurry out of his presence, and do not stand in support of something wrong, for the king does whatever he desires.
 \v 4 The king's word rules, so who will say to him, "What are you doing?"
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 5 Whoever keeps the king's commands avoids harm.
 \q2 A wise man's heart recognizes the proper course and time of action.
 \q1
 \v 6 For every matter there is a correct response and a time to respond,
 \q2 because the troubles of man are great.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 7 No one knows what is coming next.
 \q2 Who can tell him what is coming?
 
@@ -591,11 +649,13 @@
 \q2 and so, no one has power over the day of his death.
 \q1 No one is discharged from the army during a battle,
 \q2 and wickedness will not rescue those who are its slaves.
+
 \p
 \v 9 I have realized all this; I have applied my heart to every kind of work that is done under the sun. There is a time when a person exercises authority over another person to that person's hurt. \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa to his own hurt \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So I saw the wicked buried publicly. They were taken from the holy area and buried and were praised by people in the city where they had done their wicked deeds. This also is meaningless. \f + \ft Many modern translations have different interpretations of this difficult verse: \fqa I saw wicked people come and go into the holy place. They proudly spoke in the city about the things they had done. This also is meaningless \fqa* . Other modern translations have \fqa I saw wicked people come and go into the holy place. They were praised in the city for the things they had done. This also is meaningless \fqa* . \f*
+\p
 \v 11 When a sentence against an evil crime is not executed quickly, it entices the hearts of human beings to do evil.
 
 \s5
@@ -603,10 +663,12 @@
 \v 13 But it will not go well for a wicked man; his life will not be prolonged. His days are like a fleeting shadow because he does not honor God.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 14 There is something else meaningless that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said this too is meaningless.
 \v 15 So I recommend enjoyment, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat and drink and to be merry. It is happiness that will accompany him in his labor for all the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to understand the work that is done on the earth, work often done without sleep for the eyes at night or in the day,
 \v 17 then I considered all of God's deeds, and that man cannot understand the work that is done under the sun. No matter how much a man labors to find the answers, he will not find them. Even though a wise man might believe he knows, he really does not.
 
@@ -616,12 +678,9 @@
 \v 1 So all of this I laid to my heart, to make it clear, and I concluded that the righteous and the wise, and all that they do, are in the hand of God, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits him.
 
 \s5
-\q1
-\v 2 Everyone has the same fate. The same fate awaits
-\q2 righteous people and wicked,
-\q2 the good, \f + \ft Some modern translations follow ancient translations which have \fqa the good and the bad \fqa* . In this way, they make the phrase complete. Translators may decide to imitate them. \f*
-\q2 the clean and the unclean,
-\q2 and the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice.
+\v 2 Everyone has the same fate. The same fate awaits righteous people and wicked, the good, \f + \ft Some modern translations follow ancient translations which have \fqa the good and the bad \fqa* . In this way, they make the phrase complete. Translators may decide to imitate them. \f*  the clean and the unclean,  and the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice.
+
+\p
 \q1 As good people will die,
 \q2 so also will the sinner.
 \q1 As the one who swears will die,
@@ -633,8 +692,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Whoever is joined with all the living has hope—even a live dog is better than a dead lion.
-\q1
+
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 5 For those who are alive know they will die,
 \q2 but the dead do not know anything.
 \q1 They no longer have any reward
@@ -642,10 +703,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 6 Their love, hatred, and envy
-\q2 have vanished long ago.
+\v 6 Their love, hatred, 
+\q2 and envy have vanished long ago.
 \q1 They will never have a place again
 \q2 in anything done under the sun.
+
 \p
 \v 7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of your deeds.
 \v 8 Let your clothes be always white and your head anointed with oil.
@@ -655,24 +717,25 @@
 \v 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, work at it with your strength, because there is no work or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 11 I have seen some interesting things under the sun:
-\q2 The race does not belong to swift people.
-\q2 The battle does not belong to strong people.
-\q2 Bread does not belong to wise people.
-\q2 Riches do not belong to people of understanding.
-\q2 Favor does not belong to people of knowledge.
-\q1 Instead, time and chance affect them all.
-\q1
+\v 11 Again I saw under the sun:
+\q1 the race is not to the swift,
+\q2 nor is the battle to the strong,
+\q1 nor does food come to the wise,
+\q2 nor riches to the intelligent,
+\q2 nor favor to those with knowledge,
+\q1 but time and chance happen to them all.
+
+
 \p
 \v 12 Surely, no one knows when his time will come.
-\q2 As fish are caught in a deadly net,
+\q1 As fish are caught in a deadly net,
 \q2 or birds are caught in a snare,
 \q1 the children of human beings are ensnared by evil times
 \q2 that suddenly fall upon them.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun in a way that seemed great to me.
 \v 14 There was a small city with only a few men in it, and a great king came against it, he surrounded it and built great siege ramps against it.
 \v 15 Now in the city was found a poor, wise man, who by his wisdom saved the city. Yet later, no one remembered that same poor man.
@@ -681,8 +744,8 @@
 \v 16 So I concluded, "Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard."
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 17 The words of wise people spoken quietly are heard better
 \q2 than the shouts of any ruler among fools.
 \q1
@@ -694,23 +757,24 @@
 \p
 \q1
 \v 1 As dead flies cause perfume to stink,
-\q2 so a little folly can overpower wisdom and honor.
+\q2 so a little folly can outweigh wisdom and honor.
 \q1
 \v 2 The heart of a wise person tends to the right,
 \q2 but the heart of a fool tends to the left.
 \q1
 \v 3 When a fool walks down a road,
 \q2 his thinking is deficient,
-\q3 proving to everyone he is a fool.
+\q2 proving to everyone he is a fool.
 
 \s5
 \q1
-\v 4 If the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, do not leave your work.
+\v 4 If the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, 
+\q2 do not leave your work.
 \q2 Calm can quiet down great outrage.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun,
 \q2 a kind of error that comes from a ruler:
 \q1
@@ -721,28 +785,30 @@
 \q2 and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 8 The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
-\q1 and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
 \q1
-\v 9 Whoever cuts out stones
-\q2 can be hurt by them,
-\q1 and the man who chops wood
-\q2 is endangered by it.
+\v 8 The one who digs a pit will fall into it,
+\q2 and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
+\q1
+\v 9 Whoever cuts out stones can be hurt by them,
+\q2 and the man who chops wood is endangered by it.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 10 If an iron blade is dull, and a man does not sharpen it, then he must use more strength, but wisdom provides an advantage for success.
 \q1
+\v 10 If an iron blade is dull, 
+\q2 and a man does not sharpen it, 
+\q1 then he must use more strength, 
+\q2 but wisdom provides an advantage for success.
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
 \q2 then there is no advantage for the charmer.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,
 \q2 but the lips of a fool consume him.
 
@@ -750,20 +816,22 @@
 \q1
 \v 13 As words begin to flow from a fool's mouth, foolishness comes out,
 \q2 and at the end his mouth flows with wicked madness.
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 14 A fool multiplies words,
-\q2 but no one knows what is coming.
+
+\p
+\q1 but no one knows what is coming.
 \q2 Who knows what is coming after him?
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 15 The toil of fools wearies them,
 \q2 so that they do not even know the road to town.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 16 Woe to you, land, if your king is a young boy,
 \q2 and if your leaders begin feasting in the morning!
 \q1
@@ -772,19 +840,20 @@
 \q2 for strength, and not for drunkenness!
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 18 Because of laziness the roof sinks in,
 \q2 and because of idle hands the house leaks.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 19 People prepare food for laughter,
 \q2 wine brings enjoyment to life,
-\q3 and money fills the need for everything.
+\q2 and money fills the need for everything.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 20 Do not curse the king, not even in your mind,
 \q2 and do not curse rich people in your bedroom.
 \q1 For a bird of the sky might carry your words;
@@ -799,8 +868,9 @@
 \q1
 \v 2 Share it with seven, even eight people,
 \q2 for you do not know what disasters are coming on the earth.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 3 If the clouds are full of rain,
 \q2 they empty themselves on the earth,
 \q1 and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north,
@@ -810,23 +880,26 @@
 \q1
 \v 4 He who watches the wind might not plant,
 \q2 and he who watches the clouds might not harvest.
-\q1
+
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
 \q2 nor how a baby's bones grow in the pregnant womb, \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa As you do not know the path of the spirit to the baby's bones in the pregnant womb \fqa* . \f*
 \q1 so also you cannot comprehend the work of God,
 \q2 who created everything.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 6 In the morning plant your seed;
 \q2 until the evening, work with your hands as needed,
 \q1 for you do not know which will prosper,
 \q2 whether morning or evening, or this or that,
 \q2 or whether they will both alike be good.
-\q1
+
 \p
+\q1
 \v 7 Truly the light is sweet,
 \q2 and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.
 \q1
@@ -834,31 +907,35 @@
 \q2 let him rejoice in all of them,
 \q1 but let him think about the coming days of darkness,
 \q2 for they will be many.
-\q1 Everything to come is meaningless.
+\q2 Everything to come is meaningless.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 9 Take joy, young man, in your youth,
 \q2 and let your heart be joyful in the days of your youth.
 \q1 Pursue the good desires of your heart,
 \q2 and whatever is within the sight of your eyes.
-\q1 However, know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.
+\q1 However, know that God will bring you into judgment 
+\q2 for all these things.
 \q1
 \v 10 Drive anger away from your heart,
 \q2 and ignore any pain in your body,
-\q1 because youth and its strength are meaningless.
+\q2 because youth and its strength are meaningless.
 
 \s5
 \c 12
+\p
 \m
 \q1
-\v 1 Also call to mind your Creator in the days of your youth,
-\q2 before the days of difficulty come,
+\v 1 Also call to mind your Creator 
+\q2 in the days of your youth,
+\q1 before the days of difficulty come,
 \q2 and before the years arrive when you say,
-\q3 "I have no pleasure in them";
+\q2 "I have no pleasure in them";
 \q1
-\v 2 do this before the light of the sun and the moon and the stars grows dark,
+\v 2 do this before the light of the sun 
+\q2 and the moon and the stars grows dark,
 \q2 and dark clouds return after the rain.
 
 \s5
@@ -866,7 +943,7 @@
 \v 3 That will be the time when the palace guards will tremble,
 \q2 and strong men are bent over,
 \q1 and the women who grind cease because they are few,
-\q1 and those who look through windows become dim.
+\q2 and those who look through windows become dim.
 
 \s5
 \q1
@@ -886,33 +963,37 @@
 \q2 and the mourners go around in the streets.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 6 Call to mind your Creator
-\q2 before the silver cord is cut,
+\q1
+\v 6 Call to mind your Creator before the silver cord is cut,
 \q2 or the golden bowl is crushed,
-\q2 or the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
+\q1 or the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
 \q2 or the water wheel is broken at the cistern,
 \q1
 \v 7 before the dust returns to the earth where it came from,
 \q2 and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
-\v 8 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!"
+\q1
+\v 8 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. 
+\q2 "Everything is meaningless!"
+
+\p
 \v 9 The Teacher was wise and he taught the people knowledge. He studied and searched out and set in order many proverbs.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 The Teacher sought to write using vivid, upright words of truth.
+
+\p
 \v 11 The words of wise people are like goads. Like nails driven deeply are the words of the masters in collections of their proverbs, which are taught by one shepherd.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 My son, be aware of something more. The making of many books has no end, and much study brings weariness to the body.
+\v 12 My son, be warned about something more. The making of many books has no end, and much study brings weariness to the body.
 
 \s5
-\q1
 \p
+\q1
 \v 13 The end of the matter
 \q2 after everything has been heard,
 \q1 is that you must fear God and keep his commandments,
@@ -920,5 +1001,5 @@
 \q1
 \v 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
 \q2 along with every hidden thing,
-\q1 whether it is good or evil.
+\q2 whether it is good or evil.
 

22-SNG.usfm

@@ -10,578 +10,580 @@
 \c 1
 \p
 \v 1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\p
 \q
 \v 2 Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
-\q for your love is better than wine.
+\q2 for your love is better than wine.
 \q
 \v 3 Your anointing oils have a pleasing fragrance;
-\q your name is like flowing perfume,
-\q so the young women love you.
+\q2 your name is like flowing perfume,
+\q2 so the young women love you.
 \q
 \v 4 Take me with you, and we will run.
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
-\q The king has brought me into his rooms.
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\q2 The king has brought me into his rooms.
+\p
 \q We are glad; We rejoice about you;
-\q let us praise your love; it is better than wine.
-\q It is right for the other women to love you.
+\q2 let us praise your love; it is better than wine.
+\q2 It is right for the other women to love you.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the other women
+\p
 \q
 \v 5 I am dark but lovely,
-\q you daughters of Jerusalem—
+\q2 you daughters of Jerusalem—
 \q dark like the tents of Kedar,
-\q lovely like the curtains of Solomon.
+\q2 lovely like the curtains of Solomon.
 \q
 \v 6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,
-\q because the sun has scorched me.
+\q2 because the sun has scorched me.
 \q My mother's sons were angry with me;
-\q they made me keeper of the vineyards,
-\q but my own vineyard I have not kept.
+\q2 they made me keeper of the vineyards,
+\q2 but my own vineyard I have not kept.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\p
 \q
 \v 7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
-\q where do you feed your flock?
-\q Where do you rest your flock at noontime?
+\q2 where do you feed your flock?
+\q2 Where do you rest your flock at noontime?
 \q Why should I be like someone who wanders
-\q beside the flocks of your companions?
+\q2 beside the flocks of your companions?
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
 \p
 \q
 \v 8 If you do not know, most beautiful among women,
-\q follow the tracks of my flock,
-\q and pasture your young goats near the shepherds' tents.
+\q2 follow the tracks of my flock,
+\q2 and pasture your young goats near the shepherds' tents.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 I compare you, my love,
-\q to a mare among Pharaoh's chariot horses.
+\q2 to a mare among Pharaoh's chariot horses.
 \q
 \v 10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,
-\q your neck with strings of jewels.
+\q2 your neck with strings of jewels.
 \q
 \v 11 We will make for you gold ornaments
-\q with silver studs.
+\q2 with silver studs.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\p
 \q
 \v 12 While the king lay on his couch,
-\q my nard emitted its fragrance.
+\q2 my nard emitted its fragrance.
 \q
 \v 13 My beloved is to me like a bag of myrrh
-\q that spends the night lying between my breasts.
+\q2 that spends the night lying between my breasts.
 \q
 \v 14 My beloved is to me like a cluster of henna flowers
-\q in the vineyards of En Gedi.
+\q2 in the vineyards of En Gedi.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 15 Listen, you are beautiful, my love;
-\q listen, you are beautiful;
-\q your eyes are doves.
+\q2 listen, you are beautiful;
+\q2 your eyes are doves.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
 \p
 \q
 \v 16 Listen, you are handsome, my beloved, how handsome.
-\q The lush plants are our bed.
+\q2 The lush plants are our bed.
 \q
 \v 17 The beams of our house are cedars;
-\q our rafters are firs.
+\q2 our rafters are firs.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 I am a meadow flower of Sharon,
-\q a lily of the valleys.
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\q2 a lily of the valleys.
+\p
 \q
 \v 2 As a lily among thorns,
-\q so is my love among the young women.
+\q2 so is my love among the young women.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \p
 \q
 \v 3 As an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,
-\q so is my beloved among the young men.
+\q2 so is my beloved among the young men.
 \q I sit down under his shadow with great delight,
-\q and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
+\q2 and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
 \q
 \v 4 He brought me to the house of wine,
-\q and his banner over me was love.
+\q2 and his banner over me was love.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
 \q
 \v 5 Revive me with raisin cakes and refresh me with apricots,
 \q for I am weak with love.
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \q
 \v 6 His left hand is under my head,
-\q and his right hand embraces me.
+\q2 and his right hand embraces me.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the other women
-\p
 \q
 \v 7 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,
-\q by the gazelles and the does of the fields,
+\q2 by the gazelles and the does of the fields,
 \q that you will not awaken or arouse love
 \q until she pleases.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \p
 \q
 \v 8 There is the sound of my beloved! Listen, here he comes,
-\q leaping over the mountains,
-\q jumping over the hills.
+\q2 leaping over the mountains,
+\q2 jumping over the hills.
 \q
 \v 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag;
-\q look, he is standing behind our wall,
+\q2 look, he is standing behind our wall,
 \q gazing through the window,
-\q peering through the lattice.
+\q2 peering through the lattice.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 My beloved spoke to me and said,
-\q "Arise, my love;
-\q My beautiful one, come away with me.
+\q2 "Arise, my love;
+\q2 My beautiful one, come away with me.
 \q
 \v 11 Look, the winter is past;
-\q the rain is over and gone.
+\q2 the rain is over and gone.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 The flowers have appeared in the land;
-\q the time for pruning and the singing of birds has come,
-\q and the sound of the doves is heard in our land.
+\q2 the time for pruning and the singing of birds has come,
+\q2 and the sound of the doves is heard in our land.
 \q
 \v 13 The fig tree ripens her green figs,
-\q and the vines are in blossom;
+\q2 and the vines are in blossom;
 \q they give off their fragrance.
-\q Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
+\q2 Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
-\q in the secret clefts of the mountain crags,
+\q2 in the secret clefts of the mountain crags,
 \q let me see your face.
-\q Let me hear your voice,
-\q for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."
+\q2 Let me hear your voice,
+\q for your voice is sweet, 
+\q2 and your face is lovely."
+\b
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\p
 \q
-\v 15 Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes
-\q that spoil vineyards,
-\q for our vineyard is in blossom.
+\v 15 Catch the foxes for us, 
+\q2 the little foxes that spoil vineyards,
+\q2 for our vineyard is in blossom.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
-\q he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\q2 he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.
 \q
 \v 17 Go away, my beloved,
-\q before the day breathes and the shadows flee away.
+\q2 before the day breathes and the shadows flee away.
 \q Go away; be like a gazelle or a young stag
-\q on the rugged mountains.
+\q2 on the rugged mountains.
 
 \s5
 \c 3
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 At night on my bed
-\q I was longing for him whom my soul loves;
-\q I looked for him, but I could not find him.
+\q2 I was longing for him whom my soul loves;
+\q2 I looked for him, but I could not find him.
 \q
 \v 2 I said to myself, "I will get up and go through the city,
-\q through the streets and squares;
+\q2 through the streets and squares;
 \q I will search for him whom my soul loves."
-\q I searched for him, but I did not find him.
+\q2 I searched for him, but I did not find him.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds in the city.
-\q I asked them, "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
+\v 3 The watchmen found me
+\q2 as they were making their rounds in the city.
+\q2 I asked them, "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
 \q
 \v 4 It was only a little while after I had passed them
-\q that I found him whom my soul loves.
+\q2 that I found him whom my soul loves.
 \q I held on to him and would not let him go
-\q until I had brought him into my mother's house,
-\q into the bedroom of the one who had conceived me.
+\q2 until I had brought him into my mother's house,
+\q2 into the bedroom of the one who had conceived me.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the other women
 \p
 \q
 \v 5 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,
-\q by the gazelles and the does of the fields,
+\q2 by the gazelles and the does of the fields,
 \q that you will not awaken or arouse love
-\q until she pleases.
+\q2 until she pleases.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \p
 \q
 \v 6 What is that coming up from the wilderness
-\q like a column of smoke,
+\q2 like a column of smoke,
 \q perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
-\q with all the powders sold by merchants?
+\q2 with all the powders sold by merchants?
 \q
 \v 7 Look, it is the bed of Solomon;
-\q sixty warriors surround it—
-\q the mighty men of Israel.
+\q2 sixty warriors surround it—
+\q2 the mighty men of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 All of them are skilled with a sword and are experienced in warfare.
+\v 8 All of them are skilled with a sword
+\q2 and are experienced in warfare.
 \q Every man has his sword at his side,
-\q armed against the terrors of the night.
+\q2 armed against the terrors of the night.
 \q
 \v 9 King Solomon made himself a sedan chair
-\q of the wood from Lebanon.
+\q2 of the wood from Lebanon.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Its posts were made of silver;
-\q the back was made of gold, and the seat of purple cloth.
+\q2 the back was made of gold, 
+\q2 and the seat of purple cloth.
 \q Its interior was decorated with love
-\q by the daughters of Jerusalem.
-\s2 The woman speaking to the women of Jerusalem
+\q2 by the daughters of Jerusalem.
+\p
 \q
-\v 11 Go out, daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon,
+\v 11 Go out, daughters of Zion,
+\q2 and gaze on King Solomon,
 \q bearing the crown with which his mother crowned him
-\q on his wedding day,
-\q on the day of the joy of his heart.
+\q2 on his wedding day,
+\q2 on the day of the joy of his heart.
 
 \s5
 \c 4
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 Oh, you are beautiful, my love; you are beautiful.
-\q Your eyes are doves behind your veil.
+\q2 Your eyes are doves behind your veil.
 \q Your hair is like a flock of goats
-\q going down from Mount Gilead.
+\q2 going down from Mount Gilead.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes,
-\q coming up from the washing place.
+\q2 coming up from the washing place.
 \q Each one has a twin,
-\q and none among them is bereaved.
+\q2 and none among them is bereaved.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Your lips are like a thread of scarlet;
-\q your mouth is lovely.
+\q2 your mouth is lovely.
 \q Your cheeks are like pomegranate halves
-\q behind your veil.
+\q2 behind your veil.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Your neck is like the tower of David built in rows of stone,
-\q with a thousand shields hanging on it,
-\q all the shields of soldiers.
+\q2 with a thousand shields hanging on it,
+\q2 all the shields of soldiers.
 \q
 \v 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
-\q twins of a gazelle,
-\q grazing among the lilies.
+\q2 twins of a gazelle,
+\q2 grazing among the lilies.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Before the day breathes and the shadows flee away,
-\q I will go to the mountain of myrrh
-\q and to the hill of frankincense.
+\q2 I will go to the mountain of myrrh
+\q2 and to the hill of frankincense.
 \q
 \v 7 You are beautiful in every way, my love
-\q and there is no blemish in you.
+\q2 and there is no blemish in you.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride.
-\q Come with me from Lebanon;
+\q2 Come with me from Lebanon;
 \q come from the top of Amana,
-\q from the top of Senir and Hermon,
+\q2 from the top of Senir and Hermon,
 \q from lions' dens,
-\q from mountain dens of leopards.
+\q2 from mountain dens of leopards.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
-\q you have stolen my heart,
+\q2 you have stolen my heart,
 \q with just one look at me,
-\q with just one jewel of your necklace.
+\q2 with just one jewel of your necklace.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
-\q How much better is your love than wine,
-\q and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice.
+\q2 How much better is your love than wine,
+\q2 and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice.
 \q
 \v 11 Your lips, my bride, drip honey;
-\q honey and milk are under your tongue;
-\q the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
+\q2 honey and milk are under your tongue;
+\q the fragrance of your garments
+\q2 is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 My sister, my bride is a garden locked up,
-\q a garden locked up, a spring that is sealed.
+\q2 a garden locked up, a spring that is sealed.
 \q
 \v 13 Your branches are a grove of pomegranate trees with fine fruits,
-\q and of henna and nard plants,
-\q
+\q2 and of henna and nard plants,
+\q2
 \v 14 nard and saffron,
 \q calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense,
-\q myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices.
+\q2 myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 You are a garden spring,
-\q a well of fresh water,
-\q streams flowing down from Lebanon.
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\q2 a well of fresh water,
+\q2 streams flowing down from Lebanon.
+\b
 \q
-\v 16 Awake, north wind; come, south wind;
-\q blow on my garden so that its spices may give off their fragrance.
+\v 16 Awake, north wind; 
+\q2 come, south wind;
+\q blow on my garden
+\q2 so that its spices may give off their fragrance.
 \q May my beloved come into his garden
-\q and eat some of its fine fruit.
+\q2 and eat some of its fine fruit.
 
 \s5
 \c 5
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
-\q I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
+\q2 I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
 \q I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
-\q I have drunk my wine with my milk.
-\s2 The friends speaking to the man and the woman
+\q2 I have drunk my wine with my milk.
+\p
 \q Eat, friends;
-\q drink and be drunk with love.
+\q2 drink and be drunk with love.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\p
 \q
 \v 2 I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
-\q There is the sound of my beloved knocking and saying,
-\q "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one,
+\q2 There is the sound of my beloved knocking and saying,
+\q "Open to me, my sister, my love, 
+\q2 my dove, my perfect one,
 \q for my head is wet with dew,
-\q my hair with the night's dampness."
+\q2 my hair with the night's dampness."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 I have taken off my robe; must I put it on again?
-\q I have washed my feet; must I get them dirty?
+\q2 I have washed my feet; must I get them dirty?
 \q
 \v 4 My beloved put in his hand through the opening of the door latch,
-\q and my heart was stirred up for him.
+\q2 and my heart was stirred up for him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 I got up to open the door for my beloved;
-\q my hands were dripping with myrrh,
+\q2 my hands were dripping with myrrh,
 \q my fingers with moist myrrh,
-\q on the door handle.
+\q2 on the door handle.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 I opened the door for my beloved,
-\q but my beloved had turned and gone.
+\q2 but my beloved had turned and gone.
 \q My heart sank when he spoke. \f + \ft The ancient Greek and Latin translations and other ancient translations of the Hebrew copies reads \fqa he turned away \fqa* . \f*
-\q I looked for him, but I did not find him;
-\q I called him, but he did not answer me.
+\q2 I looked for him, but I did not find him;
+\q2 I called him, but he did not answer me.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds in the city.
+\v 7 The watchmen found me
+\q2 as they were making their rounds in the city.
 \q They struck me and wounded me;
-\q the guards on the walls took my cloak away from me.
+\q2 the guards on the walls took my cloak away from me.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the women of the city
 \q
 \v 8 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,
-\q that if you find my beloved—
+\q2 that if you find my beloved—
 \q What will you make known to him?—
-\q that I am weak with love.
+\q2 that I am weak with love.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The women of the city speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 9 How is your beloved better than another beloved man,
-\q most beautiful among women?
+\q2 most beautiful among women?
 \q Why is your beloved better than another beloved,
-\q that you ask us to take an oath like this?
+\q2 that you ask us to take an oath like this?
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the women of the city
 \p
 \q
 \v 10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
-\q outstanding among ten thousand.
+\q2 outstanding among ten thousand.
 \q
 \v 11 His head is the purest gold;
-\q his hair is curly and as black as a raven.
+\q2 his hair is curly and as black as a raven.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 His eyes are like doves beside streams of water,
-\q bathed in milk, mounted like jewels.
+\q2 bathed in milk, mounted like jewels.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,
-\q yielding aromatic scents. \f + \ft The Hebrew text: \fqa yielding aromatic scents. \fqa* This phrase may possibly be read as: \fqa garden beds made of balsam \fqa* . \f*
-\q His lips are lilies, dripping with myrrh.
+\q2 yielding aromatic scents. \f + \ft The Hebrew text: \fqa yielding aromatic scents. \fqa* This phrase may possibly be read as: \fqa garden beds made of balsam \fqa* . \f*
+\q His lips are lilies, 
+\q2 dripping with myrrh.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 His arms are rounded gold set with jewels;
-\q his abdomen is ivory covered with sapphires.
+\q2 his abdomen is ivory covered with sapphires.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 His legs are pillars of marble, set on bases of pure gold;
-\q his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.
+\q2 his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 His mouth is most sweet;
-\q he is completely lovely.
+\q2 he is completely lovely.
 \q This is my beloved, and this is my friend,
-\q daughters of Jerusalem.
+\q2 daughters of Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \c 6
-\s2 The women of Jerusalem speaking to the young woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 Where has your beloved gone,
-\q most beautiful among women?
+\q2 most beautiful among women?
 \q In what direction has your beloved gone,
-\q so that we may seek him with you?
+\q2 so that we may seek him with you?
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\p
 \q
 \v 2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
-\q to the beds of spices,
-\q to graze in the garden and to gather lilies.
+\q2 to the beds of spices,
+\q2 to graze in the garden and to gather lilies.
 \q
 \v 3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine;
-\q he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.
+\q2 he grazes among the lilies with pleasure.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
-\q as lovely as Jerusalem,
-\q as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners.
+\q2 as lovely as Jerusalem,
+\q2 as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Turn your eyes away from me,
-\q for they overwhelm me.
+\q2 for they overwhelm me.
 \q Your hair is like a flock of goats
-\q going down from the slopes of Gilead.
+\q2 going down from the slopes of Gilead.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
-\q coming up from the washing place.
+\q2 coming up from the washing place.
 \q Each one has a twin,
-\q and none among them is bereaved.
+\q2 and none among them is bereaved.
 \q
 \v 7 Your cheeks are like pomegranate halves
-\q behind your veil.
+\q2 behind your veil.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to himself
+\p
 \q
 \v 8 There are sixty queens, eighty concubines,
-\q and young women without number.
+\q2 and young women without number.
 \q
 \v 9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one;
-\q she is the only daughter of her mother;
-\q she is the pure child of the woman who bore her.
+\q2 she is the only daughter of her mother;
+\q2 she is the pure child of the woman who bore her.
 \q The young women saw her and called her blessed;
-\q the queens and the concubines saw her also, and they praised her:
+\q2 the queens and the concubines saw her also, 
+\q2 and they praised her:
 
 \s5
-\s2 What the queens and the concubines said
+\p
 \q
 \v 10 "Who is this who appears like the dawn,
-\q as beautiful as the moon,
+\q2 as beautiful as the moon,
 \q as pure as the sun,
-\q as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners?"
+\q2 as awe-inspiring as an army with its banners?"
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to himself
+\p
 \q
 \v 11 I went down into the grove of nut trees
-\q to see the young growth in the valley,
+\q2 to see the young growth in the valley,
 \q to see whether the vines had budded,
-\q and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
+\q2 and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
 \q
-\v 12 I did not know when
-\q my soul placed me
-\q on the chariots of my noble people.
+\v 12 I did not know when my soul placed me
+\q2 on the chariots of my noble people.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The friends speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
 \v 13 Turn back, turn back, you Shulammite! \f + \ft The meaning of Shulammite is uncertain. It may mean \fqa you perfect woman \fqa* or \fqa you woman from Shulam \fqa* . \f*
-\q Turn back, turn back so that we may gaze on you!
-\s2 The woman speaking to the friends
+\q2 Turn back, turn back so that we may gaze on you!
+\p
 \q Why do you gaze on the Shulammite,
-\q as if on the dance of Mahanaim? \f + \ft The meaning of Mahanaim is uncertain. It may be the name of a place or "two armies." Two of the possible meanings of this last phrase of verse 13 are \fqa on the dance of Mahanaim \fqa* and \fqa on the dance between two armies \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 as if on the dance of Mahanaim? \f + \ft The meaning of Mahanaim is uncertain. It may be the name of a place or "two armies." Two of the possible meanings of this last phrase of verse 13 are \fqa on the dance of Mahanaim \fqa* and \fqa on the dance between two armies \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \c 7
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
+\p
 \q
-\v 1 How beautiful your feet appear in your sandals, prince's daughter!
+\v 1 How beautiful your feet appear in your sandals, 
+\q2 prince's daughter!
 \q The curves of your thighs are like jewels,
-\q the work of the hands of a master craftsman.
+\q2 the work of the hands of a master craftsman.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 Your navel is like a round bowl;
-\q may it never lack mixed wine.
+\q2 may it never lack mixed wine.
 \q Your belly is like a mound of wheat
-\q encircled with lilies.
+\q2 encircled with lilies.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
-\q twins of a gazelle.
+\q2 twins of a gazelle.
 \q
 \v 4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory;
-\q your eyes are the pools in Heshbon
-\q by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
+\q2 your eyes are the pools in Heshbon
+\q2 by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
 \q Your nose is like the tower in Lebanon
-\q that looks toward Damascus.
+\q2 that looks toward Damascus.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Your head is on you like Carmel;
-\q the hair on your head is dark purple.
-\q The king is held captive by its tresses.
+\q2 the hair on your head is dark purple.
+\q2 The king is held captive by its tresses.
 \q
 \v 6 How beautiful and how lovely you are,
-\q my love, with delights! \f + \ft Some other ancient Hebrew copies are translated: \fqa How beautiful, you are a beloved one \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 my love, with delights! \f + \ft Some other ancient Hebrew copies are translated: \fqa How beautiful, you are a beloved one \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -589,142 +591,134 @@
 \q and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
 \q
 \v 8 I said, "I want to climb that palm tree;
-\q I will take hold of its branches."
+\q2 I will take hold of its branches."
 \q May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
-\q and may the fragrance of your nose be like apricots.
+\q2 and may the fragrance of your nose be like apricots.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 May your mouth be like the best wine,
-\q flowing smoothly for my beloved,
-\q gliding over the lips of those who sleep. \f + \ft Some copies of the ancient Greek translation and other ancient translations of the Hebrew copies have: \fqa over my lips and teeth \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 flowing smoothly for my beloved,
+\q2 gliding over the lips of those who sleep. \f + \ft Some copies of the ancient Greek translation and other ancient translations of the Hebrew copies have: \fqa over my lips and teeth \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
 \p
 \q
 \v 10 I am my beloved's,
-\q and he desires me.
+\q2 and he desires me.
 \q
 \v 11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the countryside;
-\q let us spend the night in the villages. \f + \ft The Hebrew could be read as either \fqa in the villages \fqa* or \fqa among the henna blossoms \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 let us spend the night in the villages. \f + \ft The Hebrew could be read as either \fqa in the villages \fqa* or \fqa among the henna blossoms \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Let us rise early to go to the vineyards;
-\q let us see whether the vines have budded,
+\q2 let us see whether the vines have budded,
 \q whether their blossoms have opened,
-\q and whether the pomegranates are in flower.
-\q There I will give you my love.
+\q2 and whether the pomegranates are in flower.
+\q2 There I will give you my love.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 The mandrakes give off their fragrance;
-\q at the door where we are staying are all sorts of choice fruits, new and old,
-\q that I have stored up for you, my beloved.
+\q2 at the door where we are staying are all sorts of choice fruits, 
+\q new and old,
+\q2 that I have stored up for you, my beloved.
 
 \s5
 \c 8
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\p
 \q
 \v 1 I wish that you were like my brother,
-\q who nursed at my mother's breasts.
+\q2 who nursed at my mother's breasts.
 \q Then whenever I met you outside, I could kiss you,
-\q and no one would despise me.
+\q2 and no one would despise me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 I would lead you and bring you into my mother's house—
-\q she who taught me.
+\q2 she who taught me.
 \q I would give you spiced wine to drink
-\q and some of the juice of my pomegranates.
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
+\q2 and some of the juice of my pomegranates.
 \q
 \v 3 His left hand is under my head
-\q and his right hand embraces me.
+\q2 and his right hand embraces me.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the other women
 \p
 \q
 \v 4 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem,
-\q that you will not awaken or arouse love
-\q until she pleases.
+\q2 that you will not awaken or arouse love
+\q2 until she pleases.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The women of Jerusalem speaking
 \p
 \q
 \v 5 Who is this who is coming up from the wilderness,
-\q leaning on her beloved?
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
+\q2 leaning on her beloved?
+\p
 \q I awakened you under the apricot tree;
-\q there your mother conceived you;
-\q there she gave birth to you, she delivered you.
+\q2 there your mother conceived you;
+\q2 there she gave birth to you, she delivered you.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Set me as a seal over your heart,
-\q like a seal on your arm,
+\q2 like a seal on your arm,
 \q for love is as strong as death.
-\q Passionate devotion is as unrelenting as Sheol;
+\q2 Jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol;
 \q its flames burst out; it is a blazing flame,
-\q a flame hotter than any other fire.
+\q2 a flame hotter than any other fire.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 Surging waters cannot quench love,
-\q nor can floods sweep it away.
+\q2 nor can floods sweep it away.
 \q If a man gave all the possessions in his house for love,
-\q the offer would be utterly despised.
+\q2 the offer would be utterly despised.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman's brothers speaking among themselves
 \p
 \q
 \v 8 We have a little sister,
-\q and her breasts have not yet grown.
+\q2 and her breasts have not yet grown.
 \q What can we do for our sister
-\q on the day when she will be promised in marriage?
+\q2 on the day when she will be promised in marriage?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 If she is a wall,
-\q we will build on her a tower of silver.
+\q2 we will build on her a tower of silver.
 \q If she is a door,
-\q we will adorn her with boards of cedar.
+\q2 we will adorn her with boards of cedar.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \p
 \q
 \v 10 I was a wall, and my breasts were now like fortress towers;
-\q so I am in his eyes as one who brings peace. \f + \ft Some scholars read a play on the Hebrew word for "peace" and translate the Hebrew either: \fqa I am in his eyes as one who brings peace \fqa* or: \fqa so I have found favor in his eyes \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 so I am in his eyes as one who brings peace. \f + \ft Some scholars read a play on the Hebrew word for "peace" and translate the Hebrew either: \fqa I am in his eyes as one who brings peace \fqa* or: \fqa so I have found favor in his eyes \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to herself
 \q
 \v 11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
-\q He gave the vineyard to those who would maintain it.
-\q Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
+\q2 He gave the vineyard to those who would maintain it.
+\q2 Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
 \q
 \v 12 My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
-\q the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
-\q and the two hundred shekels are for those who maintain its fruit.
+\q2 the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
+\q2 and the two hundred shekels are for those who maintain its fruit.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The man speaking to the woman
 \p
 \q
 \v 13 You who live in the gardens,
-\q my companions are listening for your voice;
-\q let me hear it.
+\q2 my companions are listening for your voice;
+\q2 let me hear it.
 
 \s5
-\s2 The woman speaking to the man
 \p
 \q
 \v 14 Hurry, my beloved,
-\q and be like a gazelle or a young stag
-\q on the mountains of spices.
+\q2 and be like a gazelle or a young stag
+\q2 on the mountains of spices.
 

25-LAM.usfm

@@ -10,598 +10,868 @@
 \c 1
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 The city that once was full of people is now sitting all alone.
-\q She has become like a widow, though she was a mighty nation.
-\q She was a princess among the nations, but is now forced into slavery.
+\v 1 The city that once was full of people 
+\q2 is now sitting all alone.
+\q She has become like a widow, 
+\q2 though she was a mighty nation.
+\q She was a princess among the nations, 
+\q2 but is now forced into slavery.
+\b
 \q
-\v 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears cover her cheeks.
+\v 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, 
+\q2 and her tears cover her cheeks.
 \q None of her lovers comfort her.
-\q All her friends have betrayed her. They have become her enemies.
-
+\q2 All her friends have betrayed her. 
+\q2 They have become her enemies.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Judah has gone into exile after affliction and great labor.
-\q She lives among the nations and finds no rest.
-\q All her pursuers overtook her in her desperation.
-
+\v 3 Judah has gone into exile 
+\q2 after affliction and great labor.
+\q She lives among the nations 
+\q2 and finds no rest.
+\q All her pursuers overtook her 
+\q2 in her desperation.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 The roads of Zion mourn because none come to the appointed feasts.
-\q All her gates are desolate. Her priests groan.
-\q Her virgins are afflicted, and as for her, it is bitter for her.
+\v 4 The roads of Zion mourn 
+\q2 because none come to the appointed feasts.
+\q All her gates are desolate. 
+\q2 Her priests groan.
+\q Her virgins are afflicted, 
+\q2 and as for her, it is bitter for her.
+\b
 \q
-\v 5 Her adversaries have become her master; her enemies prosper.
+\v 5 Her adversaries have become her master; 
+\q2 her enemies prosper.
 \q Yahweh has afflicted her for her many sins.
-\q Her little children go into captivity to her adversary.
-
+\q2 Her little children go into captivity to her adversary.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 Splendor has left the daughter of Zion.
-\q Her princes have become like deer that cannot find pasture,
-\q and they go without strength before their pursuer.
-
+\v 6 Splendor has left 
+\q2 the daughter of Zion.
+\q Her princes have become like deer 
+\q2 that cannot find pasture,
+\q and they go without strength 
+\q2 before their pursuer.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 In the days of her affliction and her homelessness, Jerusalem will call to mind
-\q all her precious treasures that she had in former days.
-\q When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, no one helped her.
-\q The adversaries saw her and mocked at her destruction.
-
+\v 7 In the days of her affliction and her homelessness, 
+\q2 Jerusalem will call to mind all her precious treasures 
+\q2 that she had in former days.
+\q When her people fell 
+\q2 into the hand of the adversary, 
+\q2 no one helped her.
+\q The adversaries saw her 
+\q2 and mocked at her destruction.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, therefore, she has become scorned as something that is filthy.
-\q All who honored her now despise her since they have seen her nakedness.
-\q She groans and tries to turn away.
+\v 8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, 
+\q2 therefore, she has become scorned 
+\q2 as something that is filthy.
+\q All who honored her now despise her 
+\q2 since they have seen her nakedness.
+\q She groans 
+\q2 and tries to turn away.
+\b
 \q
-\v 9 She has become unclean beneath her skirts. She did not think about her future.
-\q Her fall was astonishing. There was no one to comfort her.
-\q She cried out, "Look at my affliction, Yahweh, for the enemy has become too great!"
-
+\v 9 She has become unclean beneath her skirts. 
+\q2 She did not think about her future.
+\q Her fall was astonishing. 
+\q2 There was no one to comfort her.
+\q She cried out, "Look at my affliction, Yahweh, 
+\q2 for the enemy has become too great!"
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 The adversary has put his hand on all our precious treasures.
-\q She has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
-\q even though you had commanded that they must not enter into your assembly place.
-
+\v 10 The adversary has put his hand 
+\q2 on all our precious treasures.
+\q She has seen the nations 
+\q2 enter her sanctuary,
+\q even though you had commanded 
+\q2 that they must not enter into your assembly place.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 All her people groan as they search for bread.
-\q They have given their precious treasures for food to restore their lives.
-\q Look, Yahweh, and consider me, for I have become worthless.
+\v 11 All her people groan 
+\q2 as they search for bread.
+\q They have given their precious treasures 
+\q2 for food to restore their lives.
+\q Look, Yahweh, and consider me, 
+\q2 for I have become worthless.
+\b
 \q
 \v 12 Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
-\q Look and see if there is anyone else's sorrow like the sorrow that is being inflicted on me,
-\q since Yahweh has tormented me on the day of his fierce anger.
-
+\q2 Look and see 
+\q if there is anyone else's sorrow 
+\q2 like the sorrow that is being inflicted on me,
+\q since Yahweh has tormented me 
+\q2 on the day of his fierce anger.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 It is from on high that he has sent fire into my bones, and it has conquered them.
+\v 13 It is from on high that he has sent fire into my bones, 
+\q2 and it has conquered them.
 \q He has spread a net for my feet and turned me back.
-\q He has made me constantly desolate and weak.
+\q2 He has made me constantly desolate and weak.
+\b
 \q
-\v 14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound together by his hand.
-\q They are knit together and placed upon my neck. He has made my strength fail.
-\q The Lord has given me over into their hands, and I am not able to stand.
-
+\v 14 The yoke of my transgressions 
+\q2 is bound together by his hand.
+\q They are knit together and placed upon my neck. 
+\q2 He has made my strength fail.
+\q The Lord has given me over into their hands, 
+\q2 and I am not able to stand.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 The Lord has tossed aside all my mighty men who defended me.
-\q He has called an assembly against me to crush my vigorous men.
-\q The Lord has trampled the virgin daughter of Judah in the winepress.
-
+\v 15 The Lord has tossed aside 
+\q2 all my mighty men who defended me.
+\q He has called an assembly against me 
+\q2 to crush my vigorous men.
+\q The Lord has trampled the virgin daughter of Judah 
+\q2 in the winepress.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 For these things I weep, my eyes overflow with tears;
-\q for a comforter is far from me, one who restores my life.
-\q My children are desolate because the enemy has conquered me.
+\v 16 For these things I weep, 
+\q2 my eyes overflow with tears;
+\q for a comforter is far from me, 
+\q2 one who restores my life.
+\q My children are desolate 
+\q2 because the enemy has conquered me.
+\b
 \q
-\v 17 Zion has spread her hands wide; there is none to comfort her.
-\q Yahweh has commanded that those around Jacob should be his adversaries.
+\v 17 Zion has spread her hands wide; 
+\q2 there is none to comfort her.
+\q Yahweh has commanded 
+\q2 that those around Jacob should be his adversaries.
 \q Jerusalem is something unclean to them.
-
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 Yahweh is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment.
+\v 18 Yahweh is righteous, 
+\q2 for I have rebelled against his commandment.
 \q Hear, all you peoples, and see my sorrow.
-\q My virgins and my vigorous men have gone into captivity.
+\q2 My virgins and my vigorous men 
+\q2 have gone into captivity.
+\b
 \q
-\v 19 I called for my lovers, but they were treacherous toward me.
+\v 19 I called for my lovers, 
+\q2 but they were treacherous toward me.
 \q My priests and my elders perished in the city,
-\q while they sought food to restore their lives.
-
+\q2 while they sought food to restore their lives.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 20 Look, Yahweh, for I am in distress; my stomach churns,
-\q my heart is disturbed within me, for I have been very rebellious.
-\q Outside, the sword bereaves; inside the house there is only death.
-
+\v 20 Look, Yahweh, for I am in distress; 
+\q2 my stomach churns,
+\q my heart is disturbed within me, 
+\q2 for I have been very rebellious.
+\q Outside, the sword bereaves; 
+\q2 inside the house there is only death.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 They have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me.
-\q All my enemies have heard of my trouble, and they are glad that you have done it.
-\q You have brought the day you proclaimed; now let them become like me.
+\v 21 They have heard my groaning, 
+\q2 but there is no one to comfort me.
+\q All my enemies have heard of my trouble, 
+\q2 and they are glad that you have done it.
+\q You have brought the day you proclaimed; 
+\q2 now let them become like me.
+\b
 \q
 \v 22 Let all their wickedness come before you.
-\q deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions.
+\q2 deal with them as you have dealt with me 
+\q2 because of all my transgressions.
 \q My groans are many and my heart is faint.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 The Lord has covered the daughter of Zion under the cloud of his anger.
-\q He has thrown the splendor of Israel down from heaven to earth.
-\q He has not remembered his footstool on the day of his anger.
+\v 1 The Lord has covered the daughter of Zion 
+\q2 under the cloud of his anger.
+\q He has thrown the splendor of Israel 
+\q2 down from heaven to earth.
+\q He has not remembered his footstool 
+\q2 on the day of his anger.
+\b
 \q
-\v 2 The Lord has swallowed up and has had no compassion on all the towns of Jacob.
-\q In the days of his anger he has thrown down the fortified cities of the daughter of Judah;
-\q in dishonor he has brought down to the ground the kingdom and its rulers.
-
+\v 2 The Lord has swallowed up 
+\q2 and has had no compassion on 
+\q2 all the towns of Jacob.
+\q In the days of his anger he has thrown down 
+\q2 the fortified cities 
+\q2 of the daughter of Judah;
+\q in dishonor he has brought down to the ground 
+\q2 the kingdom and its rulers.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 With fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel.
-\q He has withdrawn his right hand from before the enemy.
-\q He has burned up Jacob like a blazing fire that devours everything around it.
+\v 3 With fierce anger he has cut off 
+\q2 every horn of Israel.
+\q He has withdrawn his right hand 
+\q2 from before the enemy.
+\q He has burned up Jacob like a blazing fire 
+\q2 that devours everything around it.
+\b
 \q
 \v 4 He has bent his bow toward us like an enemy,
-\q he has set his right hand like an adversary.
-\q He has slaughtered all who had been so pleasing to him in the tent of the daughter of Zion;
-\q he has poured out his wrath like fire.
-
+\q2 he has set his right hand like an adversary.
+\q He has slaughtered all 
+\q2 who had been so pleasing to him 
+\q in the tent of the daughter of Zion;
+\q2 he has poured out his wrath like fire.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 The Lord has become like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel.
-\q He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed her strongholds.
-\q He has increased mourning and lamentation within the daughter of Judah.
+\v 5 The Lord has become like an enemy. 
+\q2 He has swallowed up Israel.
+\q He has swallowed up all her palaces. 
+\q2 He has destroyed her strongholds.
+\q He has increased mourning and lamentation 
+\q2 within the daughter of Judah.
+\b
 \q
-\v 6 He has done violence to his tabernacle like a garden. He has destroyed the place of the solemn assembly.
-\q Yahweh has caused both solemn assembly and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,
-\q for he has despised both king and priest in the indignation of his anger.
-
+\v 6 He has done violence to his tabernacle like a garden. 
+\q2 He has destroyed the place of the solemn assembly.
+\q Yahweh has caused both solemn assembly 
+\q2 and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,
+\q for he has despised both king and priest 
+\q2 in the indignation of his anger.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 The Lord has rejected his altar and disowned his sanctuary.
-\q He has given over the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy.
-\q They have raised a shout in the house of Yahweh, as on the day of an appointed feast.
-
+\v 7 The Lord has rejected his altar 
+\q2 and disowned his sanctuary.
+\q He has given over the walls of her palaces 
+\q2 into the hand of the enemy.
+\q They have raised a shout in the house of Yahweh, 
+\q2 as on the day of an appointed feast.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Yahweh decided to destroy the city wall of the daughter of Zion.
-\q He has stretched out the measuring line and has not withheld his hand from destroying the wall.
-\q He has made the ramparts and wall to lament; together they wasted away.
+\v 8 Yahweh decided to destroy the city wall 
+\q2 of the daughter of Zion.
+\q He has stretched out the measuring line 
+\q2 and has not withheld his hand from destroying the wall.
+\q He has made the ramparts and wall to lament; 
+\q2 together they wasted away.
+\b
 \q
-\v 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken the bars of her gate.
-\q Her king and her princes are among the nations, the law is no more
-\q and her prophets find no vision from Yahweh.
-
+\v 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; 
+\q2 he has destroyed and broken the bars of her gate.
+\q Her king and her princes 
+\q2 are among the nations, 
+\q the law is no more
+\q2 and her prophets find no vision from Yahweh.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence.
-\q They have thrown dust on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth.
-\q The virgins of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
-
+\v 10 The elders of the daughter of Zion 
+\q2 sit on the ground in silence.
+\q They have thrown dust on their heads 
+\q2 and girded themselves with sackcloth.
+\q The virgins of Jerusalem 
+\q2 have bowed their heads to the ground.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 My eyes have failed from their tears; my stomach churns;
-\q my inner parts are poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
-\q children and infants faint in the streets of the city.
+\v 11 My eyes have failed from their tears; 
+\q2 my stomach churns;
+\q my inner parts are poured out to the ground 
+\q2 because of the destruction of the daughter of my people;
+\q children and infants faint 
+\q2 in the streets of the city.
+\b
 \q
-\v 12 They say to their mothers, "Where is grain and wine?"
-\q as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city,
-\q their lives are poured out on the bosom of their mothers.
-
+\v 12 They say to their mothers, 
+\q2 "Where is grain and wine?"
+\q as they faint like a wounded man 
+\q2 in the streets of the city,
+\q their lives are poured out 
+\q2 on the bosom of their mothers.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 What will I testify for you? To what can I compare you, daughter of Jerusalem?
-\q To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion?
-\q Your wound is as great as the sea. Who can heal you?
+\v 13 What will I testify for you? To what can I compare you, 
+\q2 daughter of Jerusalem?
+\q To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, 
+\q2 virgin daughter of Zion?
+\q Your wound is as great as the sea. 
+\q2 Who can heal you?
+\b
 \q
-\v 14 Your prophets have seen false and worthless visions for you.
-\q They have not exposed your iniquity to reverse your captivity,
-\q but for you they gave utterances that are false and misleading.
-
+\v 14 Your prophets have seen 
+\q2 false and worthless visions for you.
+\q They have not exposed your iniquity 
+\q2 to reverse your captivity,
+\q but for you they gave utterances 
+\q2 that are false and misleading.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 All those who pass along the road clap their hands at you.
-\q They hiss and shake their heads against the daughter of Jerusalem and say,
-\q "Is this the city that they called 'The Perfection of Beauty,' 'The Joy for All of Earth'?"
+\v 15 All those who pass along the road 
+\q2 clap their hands at you.
+\q They hiss and shake their heads 
+\q2 against the daughter of Jerusalem and say,
+\q "Is this the city that they called 'The Perfection of Beauty,' 
+\q2 'The Joy for All of Earth'?"
+\b
 \q
-\v 16 All your enemies open their mouths against you.
-\q They sneer and grind their teeth in rage and say, "We have swallowed her up!
-\q This is the day we have waited for! We have lived to see it!"
-
+\v 16 All your enemies open 
+\q2 their mouths against you.
+\q They sneer and grind their teeth in rage and say, 
+\q2 "We have swallowed her up!
+\q This is the day we have waited for! 
+\q2 We have lived to see it!"
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17 Yahweh has done what he planned to do. He has fulfilled his word,
-\q which he commanded in former days.
+\v 17 Yahweh has done 
+\q2 what he planned to do. 
+\q He has fulfilled his word,
+\q2 which he commanded in former days.
 \q He has overthrown you without pity,
-\q for he has permitted the enemy to rejoice over you; he has lifted up the horn of your enemies.
-
+\q2 for he has permitted the enemy to rejoice over you; 
+\q2 he has lifted up the horn of your enemies.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 Their heart cried out to the Lord,
-\q walls of the daughter of Zion! Make your tears flow down like a river day and night.
-\q Give yourself no relief, your eyes no relief.
+\q2 walls of the daughter of Zion! 
+\q Make your tears flow down like a river day and night.
+\q2 Give yourself no relief, your eyes no relief.
+\b
 \q
-\v 19 Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!
-\q Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.
-\q Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children who faint with hunger at the corner of every street."
-
+\v 19 Arise, cry out in the night, 
+\q2 at the beginning of the night watches!
+\q Pour out your heart like water 
+\q2 before the face of the Lord.
+\q Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children 
+\q2 who faint with hunger at the corner of every street."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 20 See, Yahweh, and consider those you have dealt in this way.
-\q Should women eat the fruit of their wombs, the children whom they have cared for?
-\q Should priest and prophet be slaughtered in the sanctuary of the Lord?
-
+\v 20 See, Yahweh, and consider 
+\q2 those you have dealt in this way.
+\q Should women eat the fruit of their wombs, 
+\q2 the children whom they have cared for?
+\q Should priest and prophet be slaughtered 
+\q2 in the sanctuary of the Lord?
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 Both the young and the old lie on the dust of the streets.
-\q My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword;
-\q you have slaughtered them in the day of your anger without taking pity on them.
+\v 21 Both the young and the old 
+\q2 lie on the dust of the streets.
+\q My virgins and my young men 
+\q2 have fallen by the sword;
+\q you have slaughtered them in the day of your anger 
+\q2 without taking pity on them.
+\b
 \q
-\v 22 You have summoned, as you would call the people to a feast day, my terrors on every side, on the day of the anger of Yahweh no one escaped or survived;
+\v 22 You have summoned, 
+\q2 as you would call the people to a feast day, 
+\q2 my terrors on every side, 
+\q on the day of the anger of Yahweh 
+\q2 no one escaped or survived;
 \q those I cared for and raised,
-\q my enemy has destroyed.
-
+\q2 my enemy has destroyed.
 \s5
 \c 3
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 I am a man who has seen affliction under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
+\v 1 I am a man who has seen affliction 
+\q2 under the rod of Yahweh's fury.
 \q
-\v 2 He drove me away and caused me to walk in darkness rather than light.
+\v 2 He drove me away and caused me to walk 
+\q2 in darkness rather than light.
+\b
 \q
-\v 3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, the whole day long.
+\v 3 Surely he turned his hand against me again and again, 
+\q2 the whole day long.
 \q
-\v 4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; he broke my bones.
-
+\v 4 He made my flesh and my skin waste away; 
+\q2 he broke my bones.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
+\v 5 He built up siege works against me, 
+\q2 and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
 \q
-\v 6 He made me live in dark places, like those who died long ago.
+\v 6 He made me live in dark places, 
+\q2 like those who died long ago.
+\b
 \q
-\v 7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. He made my chains heavy
+\v 7 He built a wall around me and I cannot escape. 
+\q2 He made my chains heavy
 \q
-\v 8 and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.
-
+\v 8 and though I call out and cry for help, 
+\q2 he shut out my prayer.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
+\v 9 He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; 
+\q2 he made my paths crooked.
 \q
-\v 10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, a lion in hiding;
+\v 10 He is like a bear waiting to ambush me, 
+\q2 a lion in hiding;
+\b
 \q
-\v 11 he turned aside my paths, he has made me desolate.
-
+\v 11 he turned aside my paths, 
+\q2 he has made me desolate.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 He bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
+\v 12 He bent his bow and set me 
+\q2 as a target for his arrow.
+\b
 \q
-\v 13 He pierced my kidneys with the arrows of his quiver.
+\v 13 He pierced my kidneys 
+\q2 with the arrows of his quiver.
 \q
-\v 14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, their taunting song all day long.
+\v 14 I became a laughingstock to all my people, 
+\q2 their taunting song all day long.
+\b
 \q
-\v 15 He filled me with bitter herbs and forced me to drink wormwood.
-
+\v 15 He filled me with bitter herbs 
+\q2 and forced me to drink wormwood.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, and he made me cower in the ashes.
+\v 16 He has made my teeth grind with gravel, 
+\q2 and he made me cower in the ashes.
+\b
 \q
-\v 17 My soul is deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
+\v 17 My soul is deprived of peace; 
+\q2 I have forgotten what prosperity is.
 \q
-\v 18 So I say, "My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh."
-
+\v 18 So I say, "My endurance has perished 
+\q2 and so has my hope in Yahweh."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and bitterness.
+\v 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, 
+\q2 the wormwood and bitterness.
 \q
-\v 20 I continually remember it and my soul is bowed down within me.
+\v 20 I continually remember it 
+\q2 and my soul is bowed down within me.
+\b
 \q
-\v 21 But I call this to mind and therefore I have hope:
-
+\v 21 But I call this to mind 
+\q2 and therefore I have hope:
 \s5
 \q
-\v 22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases and his compassions never end,
+\v 22 The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases 
+\q2 and his compassions never end,
+\b
 \q
-\v 23 they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
+\v 23 they are new every morning; 
+\q2 your faithfulness is great.
 \q
-\v 24 "Yahweh is my inheritance," says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
-
+\v 24 "Yahweh is my inheritance," says my soul, 
+\q2 therefore I will hope in him.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
+\v 25 Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, 
+\q2 to the soul who seeks him.
 \q
-\v 26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of Yahweh.
+\v 26 It is good to wait silently 
+\q2 for the salvation of Yahweh.
+\b
 \q
-\v 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
+\v 27 It is good for a man 
+\q2 that he bear the yoke in his youth.
 \q
-\v 28 Let him sit alone in silence, when it is laid upon him.
+\v 28 Let him sit alone in silence, 
+\q2 when it is laid upon him.
+\b
 \q
-\v 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.
-
+\v 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—
+\q2 there may yet be hope.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, and let him be filled to the full with reproach.
+\v 30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him, 
+\q2 and let him be filled to the full with insults.
+\b
 \q
-\v 31 For the Lord will not reject us forever,
+\v 31 For the Lord will not 
+\q2 reject us forever,
 \q
-\v 32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
+\v 32 but though he causes grief, he will have compassion 
+\q2 according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
+\b
 \q
-\v 33 For he does not afflict from his heart or torment the children of mankind.
-
+\v 33 For he does not afflict from his heart 
+\q2 or torment the children of mankind.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
+\v 34 To crush underfoot 
+\q2 all the prisoners of the earth,
+\b
 \q
-\v 35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,
+\v 35 to deny a man justice 
+\q2 in the presence of the Most High,
 \q
-\v 36 to deprive a person of justice in his lawsuit—the Lord would not approve such things!
-
+\v 36 to deprive a person of justice in his lawsuit—
+\q2 the Lord would not approve such things!
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it?
+\v 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, 
+\q2 unless the Lord decreed it?
 \q
-\v 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
+\v 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High 
+\q2 that both calamities and the good come?
+\b
 \q
-\v 39 How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
-
+\v 39 How can any person alive complain? 
+\q2 How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
 \s5
 \q
-\v 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to Yahweh.
+\v 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, 
+\q2 and let us return to Yahweh.
+\b
 \q
-\v 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens:
+\v 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands 
+\q2 to God in the heavens:
 \q
-\v 42 "We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.
+\v 42 "We have transgressed and rebelled, 
+\q2 and you have not forgiven.
+\b
 \q
-\v 43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, you have killed and you have not spared.
-
+\v 43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us, 
+\q2 you have killed and you have not spared.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
+\v 44 You have covered yourself with a cloud 
+\q2 so that no prayer can pass through.
+\b
 \q
-\v 45 You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the peoples.
+\v 45 You have made us like filthy scum 
+\q2 and refuse among the peoples.
 \q
-\v 46 All our enemies curse us,
+\v 46 All our enemies 
+\q2 curse us,
+\b
 \q
-\v 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction.
-
+\v 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, 
+\q2 ruin and destruction.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because of the destruction my people.
+\v 48 My eyes flow with streams of tears 
+\q2 because of the destruction my people.
+\b
 \q
-\v 49 My eyes will shed tears without ceasing, without relief,
+\v 49 My eyes will shed tears 
+\q2 without ceasing, without relief,
 \q
-\v 50 until Yahweh from heaven looks down and sees.
-
+\v 50 until Yahweh from heaven 
+\q2 looks down and sees.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 51 My eyes cause grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
+\v 51 My eyes cause grief to my soul 
+\q2 because of all the daughters of my city.
 \q
-\v 52 I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies; they hunted me without a reason.
+\v 52 I have been hunted like a bird 
+\q2 by those who were my enemies; 
+\q2 they hunted me without a reason.
+\b
 \q
-\v 53 They cut off my life in the pit, and they threw a stone on me,
+\v 53 They cut off my life in the pit, 
+\q2 and they threw a stone on me,
 \q
-\v 54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. I said, 'I have been cut off!'
-
+\v 54 and they caused waters to overflow, covering my head. 
+\q2 I said, 'I have been cut off!'
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 55 I called on your name, Yahweh, from the depths of the pit.
+\v 55 I called on your name, Yahweh, 
+\q2 from the depths of the pit.
 \q
-\v 56 You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
+\v 56 You heard my voice when I said, 
+\q2 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
+\b
 \q
-\v 57 You came near on the day I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear.'
-
+\v 57 You came near on the day I called on you; 
+\q2 you said, 'Do not fear.'
 \s5
 \q
-\v 58 Lord, you defended my soul's case, you redeemed my life!
+\v 58 Lord, you defended my soul's case, 
+\q2 you redeemed my life!
+\b
 \q
-\v 59 Yahweh, you have seen the wrong they have done to me; judge my case.
+\v 59 Yahweh, you have seen 
+\q2 the wrong they have done to me; 
+\q2 judge my case.
 \q
-\v 60 You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me.
+\v 60 You have seen all their vengeance, 
+\q2 all their plots against me.
+\b
 \q
-\v 61 You have heard their reproach, Yahweh, and all their plots regarding me.
-
+\v 61 You have heard their insults, Yahweh, 
+\q2 and all their plots against me.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 62 The lips and the meditations of my enemies come against me all the day.
+\v 62 The lips and the meditations of my enemies 
+\q2 come against me all the day.
+\b
 \q
-\v 63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
-
+\v 63 Look at how they sit and then rise up; 
+\q2 they mock me with their songs.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 64 Pay back to them what they deserve, Yahweh, according to the deeds of their hands.
+\v 64 Pay back to them what they deserve, Yahweh, 
+\q2 according to the deeds of their hands.
+\b
 \q
-\v 65 You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
+\v 65 You will let their hearts be shameless! 
+\q2 May your condemnation be upon them!
 \q
-\v 66 You pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!"
-
+\v 66 You pursue them in anger 
+\q2 and destroy them from under the heavens, Yahweh!"
 \s5
 \c 4
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 The gold has become tarnished; how the purest gold has changed!
-\q The holy stones are scattered at the corner of every street.
+\v 1 The gold has become tarnished; 
+\q2 how the purest gold has changed!
+\q The holy stones are scattered 
+\q2 at the corner of every street.
+\b
 \q
-\v 2 The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in pure gold,
-\q but now they are considered like clay jars, the work of the potter's hands!
-
+\v 2 The precious sons of Zion 
+\q2 were worth their weight in pure gold,
+\q but now they are considered like clay jars, 
+\q2 the work of the potter's hands!
+\s5
+\b
+\q
+\v 3 Even the jackals offer the breast 
+\q2 to nurse their cubs, 
+\q but the daughter of my people has become cruel, 
+\q2 like the ostriches in the desert.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Even the jackals offer the breast to nurse their cubs, but
-\q the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the desert.
-
+\v 4 The tongue of the nursing baby 
+\q2 sticks to the roof of his mouth by thirst;
+\q the children ask for food, 
+\q2 but there is none for them.
+\b
+\q
+\v 5 Those who used to eat delicacies 
+\q2 are now desolate in the streets.
+\q Those who were brought up wearing scarlet clothing 
+\q2 now lie on piles of ashes.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 The tongue of the nursing baby sticks to the roof of his mouth by thirst;
-\q the children ask for food, but there is none for them.
-\q
-\v 5 Those who used to eat delicacies are now desolate in the streets.
-\q Those who were brought up wearing scarlet clothing now lie on piles of ashes.
-
+\v 6 The iniquity of the daughter of my people 
+\q2 is greater than the sin of Sodom,
+\q which was overthrown in a moment 
+\q2 and no hands were wrung for her.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 The iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom,
-\q which was overthrown in a moment and no hands were wrung for her.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 7 Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk;
-\q their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their form was like sapphire.
+\v 7 Her princes were purer than snow, 
+\q2 whiter than milk;
+\q their bodies were more ruddy than coral, 
+\q2 their form was like sapphire.
+\b
 \q
 \v 8 Their appearance now is darker than soot;
-\q they are not recognized in the streets.
+\q2 they are not recognized in the streets.
 \q Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
-\q it has become as dry as wood.
-
+\q2 it has become as dry as wood.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 Those slain by the sword are better than those killed by hunger,
-\q who wasted away, pierced by the lack of any harvest from the field.
+\v 9 Those killed by the sword 
+\q2 are better than those killed by hunger,
+\q who wasted away, 
+\q2 pierced by the lack of any harvest from the field.
+\b
 \q
-\v 10 The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children;
+\v 10 The hands of compassionate women 
+\q2 have boiled their own children;
 \q they became their food during the time
-\q when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.
-
+\q2 when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 Yahweh showed all his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger.
-\q He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.
-
+\v 11 Yahweh showed all his wrath; 
+\q2 he poured out his fierce anger.
+\q He kindled a fire in Zion 
+\q2 that consumed her foundations.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
-\q nor did any of the inhabitants of the world believe,
-\q that adversary or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
+\q2 nor did any of the inhabitants of the world believe,
+\q that adversary or enemy 
+\q2 could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
+\b
 \q
-\v 13 This happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests
-\q who have shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.
-
+\v 13 This happened because of the sins of her prophets 
+\q2 and the iniquities of her priests
+\q who have shed the blood of the righteous 
+\q2 in her midst.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 They wandered, blind, through the streets.
-\q They were so defiled by that blood that no one could touch their clothes.
+\v 14 They wandered, blind, 
+\q2 through the streets.
+\q They were so defiled by that blood 
+\q2 that no one could touch their clothes.
+\b
 \q
-\v 15 "Away! Unclean!" people cried at them. "Away! Away! Do not touch!"
-\q So they wandered about; people said among the nations, "They can stay here no longer."
-
+\v 15 "Away! Unclean!" people cried at them. 
+\q2 "Away! Away! Do not touch!"
+\q So they wandered about; 
+\q2 people said among the nations, 
+\q2 "They can stay here no longer."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 Yahweh himself scattered them; he does not watch over them anymore.
+\v 16 Yahweh himself scattered them; 
+\q2 he does not watch over them anymore.
 \q They did not honor the priests,
-\q and they did not show favor to the elders.
-
+\q2 and they did not show favor to the elders.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 Our eyes failed, looking in vain for help;
-\q from our watchtowers we watched
-\q for a nation that could not rescue us.
+\q2 from our watchtowers we watched
+\q for a nation 
+\q2 that could not rescue us.
+\b
 \q
 \v 18 They followed our steps,
-\q we could not walk in our streets.
+\q2 we could not walk in our streets.
 \q Our end was near and our days were numbered,
-\q our end had come.
-
+\q2 our end had come.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the sky.
-\q They chased us to the mountains and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
+\v 19 Our pursuers were swifter 
+\q2 than the eagles in the sky.
+\q They chased us to the mountains 
+\q2 and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
+\b
 \q
-\v 20 The breath in our nostrils—Yahweh's anointed one—he was the one who was captured in their pits;
-\q of whom it was said, "Under his shadow we will live among the nations."
-
+\v 20 The breath in our nostrils—Yahweh's anointed one—
+\q2 he was the one who was captured in their pits;
+\q of whom it was said, 
+\q2 "Under his shadow we will live among the nations."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,
-\q you who live in the land of Uz.
+\q2 you who live in the land of Uz.
 \q But to you also the cup will be passed;
-\q you will be drunk and strip yourself naked.
+\q2 you will be drunk and strip yourself naked.
+\b
 \q
-\v 22 Daughter of Zion, your punishment will come to an end;
-\q he will not extend your exile.
-\q But daughter of Edom, he will punish your iniquity;
-\q he will uncover your sins.
-
+\v 22 Daughter of Zion, 
+\q2 your punishment will come to an end;
+\q2 he will not extend your exile.
+\q But daughter of Edom, 
+\q2 he will punish your iniquity;
+\q2 he will uncover your sins.
 \s5
 \c 5
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Remember, Yahweh, what has happened to us;
-\q look and see our disgrace.
+\q2 look and see our disgrace.
 \q
 \v 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers;
-\q our houses to foreigners.
+\q2 our houses to foreigners.
 \q
 \v 3 We have become orphans, without a father,
-\q and our mothers are like widows.
+\q2 and our mothers are like widows.
 \q
 \v 4 We must pay silver for the water we drink,
-\q and we must pay silver to get our own wood.
-
+\q2 and we must pay silver to get our own wood.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Those who are coming after us are close behind us;
-\q we are weary and we can find no rest.
+\q2 we are weary and we can find no rest.
 \q
 \v 6 We have given ourselves to Egypt and to Assyria
-\q to get enough food.
+\q2 to get enough food.
+\b
 \q
 \v 7 Our fathers sinned, and they are no more,
-\q and we bear their iniquities.
-
+\q2 and we bear their iniquities.
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Slaves rule over us,
-\q and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
+\q2 and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
+\b
 \q
 \v 9 We get our bread only by risking our lives,
-\q because of the sword in the wilderness.
+\q2 because of the sword in the wilderness.
 \q
 \v 10 Our skin has grown as hot as an oven
-\q because of the burning heat of hunger.
-
+\q2 because of the burning heat of hunger.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Women are raped in Zion,
-\q and virgins in the cities of Judah.
+\q2 and virgins in the cities of Judah.
 \q
 \v 12 Princes are hung up by their own hands,
-\q and no honor is shown to the elders.
-
+\q2 and no honor is shown to the elders.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Young men are forced to grind grain with a millstone,
-\q and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
+\q2 and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
 \q
 \v 14 The elders have left the city gate,
-\q and the young men have left their music.
-
+\q2 and the young men have left their music.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 The joy of our heart has ceased
-\q and our dancing has turned into mourning.
+\q2 and our dancing has turned into mourning.
 \q
 \v 16 The crown has fallen from our head;
-\q woe to us, for we have sinned!
-
+\q2 woe to us, for we have sinned!
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 For this our heart has become sick,
-\q for these things our eyes grow dim
+\q2 for these things our eyes grow dim
 \q
-\v 18 for Mount Zion lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.
-
+\v 18 for Mount Zion lies desolate, 
+\q2 with jackals prowling over it.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 But you, Yahweh, reign forever,
-\q and you will sit upon your throne from generation to generation.
+\q2 and you will sit upon your throne 
+\q2 from generation to generation.
 \q
 \v 20 Why do you forget us forever?
-\q Why do you forsake us for the length of your days?
+\q2 Why do you abandon us 
+\q2 for the length of your days?
+\b
 \q
-\v 21 Restore us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be restored.
-\q Renew our days as they were long ago—
+\v 21 Restore us to yourself, Yahweh, 
+\q2 and we will be restored.
+\q Renew our days 
+\q2 as they were long ago—
 \q
 \v 22 unless you have utterly rejected us
-\q and you are angry with us beyond measure.
+\q2 and you are angry with us beyond measure.
+\b
 \q
-

26-EZK.usfm

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf that shone like polished bronze.
 \v 8 Yet they had human hands under their wings on all four sides. For all four, their faces and wings were like this:
-\v 9 their wings were touching the wings of the next creature, and they did not turn as they went; instead, each one went straight forward.
+\v 9 their wings touched each other. They did not turn when they moved; each one went straight ahead.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 The likeness of their faces was like the face of a man. The four of them had the face of a lion to the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side. They four had also the face of an eagle.
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
 \v 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a great earthquake.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in my spirit's rage, for the hand of Yahweh was powerfully pressing on me!
+\v 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in the anger of my spirit, and the strong hand of Yahweh was on me.
 \v 15 So I went to the captives at Tel Aviv who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed there among them for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.
 
 \s5
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@
 \c 4
 \p
 \v 1 "But you, son of man, take a brick for yourself and place it before you. Then carve the city of Jerusalem on it.
-\v 2 Then lay siege against it, and build forts against it. Raise up an assault ramp against it and set camps around it. Place battering rams all around it.
+\v 2 Then lay siege against it, and build forts against it. Raise up a siege ramp against it and set camps around it. Place battering rams all around it.
 \v 3 Then take for yourself an iron pan and use it as an iron wall between yourself and the city and set your face against it, for it will be under siege, and you are to put the siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -174,8 +174,8 @@
 \v 15 So he said to me, "Look! I have given you cow manure instead of human dung so you can prepare your bread over that."
 
 \s5
-\v 16 He also said to me, "Son of man! Behold! I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread while rationing it in anxiety and drink water while rationing it in trembling.
-\v 17 Because they will lack bread and water, every man will be dismayed at his brother and waste away because of their iniquity."
+\v 16 He also said to me, "Son of man! Behold! I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread while rationing it in anxiety and drink water while rationing it in horror.
+\v 17 Because they will lack bread and water, every man will be appalled at his brother, and they will waste away because of their iniquity."
 
 \s5
 \c 5
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 The Lord Yahweh says this, "This is Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, where I have placed her, and where I have surrounded her with other lands.
-\v 6 But she has rebelled against my decrees more wickedly than the nations have, and my statutes more than the countries that surround her. The people have rejected my judgments and have not walked in my statutes."
+\v 6 But she has rebelled against my ordinances more wickedly than the nations have, and my statutes more than the lands that surround her. The people have rejected my ordinances and have not walked in my statutes."
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, "Because you are more troublesome than the nations that surround you and have not walked in my statutes or acted according to my decrees, or even acted according to the decrees of the nations that surround you,"
@@ -206,11 +206,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Then my wrath will be completed, and I will cause my fury toward them to rest. I will be appeased, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my jealousy when I have completed my fury against them.
-\v 14 I will make you a desolation and a reproach to the nations that surround you in the sight of everyone who passes by.
+\v 13 Then my wrath will be completed, and I will cause my fury toward them to rest. I will be comforted, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my jealousy when I have completed my fury against them.
+\v 14 I will make you a ruin and an object of scorn to the nations that surround you and in the sight of everyone who passes by.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 So Jerusalem will become something for other people to condemn and to mock, a warning and a horror to the nations that surround you. I will execute judgments against you in wrath and fury, and with a furious rebuke—I, Yahweh have declared this!
+\v 15 So Jerusalem will become something for other people to condemn and to mock, a warning and a horror to the nations that surround you. I will execute judgments against you in wrath and fury, and with furious rebukes—I, Yahweh have declared this!
 \v 16 I will send out harsh arrows of famine against you that will become the means with which I will destroy you. For I will increase the famine on you and break your staff of bread.
 \v 17 I will send a famine and disasters against you so you will be childless. Plague and blood will pass through you, and I will bring a sword against you—I, Yahweh, have declared this."
 
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the countries.
+\v 8 But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the lands.
 \v 9 Then those who escape will think of me among the nations where they will be held captive, that I was grieved by their promiscuous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes that whored after their idols. Then they will show loathing on their face for the wickedness which they have committed with all their abominations.
 \v 10 So they will know that I am Yahweh. It was for a reason that I said I would bring this evil to them.
 
@@ -248,23 +248,32 @@
 \c 7
 \p
 \v 1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 2 "You, son of man—the Lord Yahweh says this to the land of Israel."
-\q 'An end! An end has come to the four borders of the land.
+\v 2 "You, son of man—the Lord Yahweh says this to the land of Israel.
+\q 'An end! An end has come 
+\q2 to the four borders of the land.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Now the end is upon you, for I am sending out my wrath on you, and I will judge you according to your ways;
+\v 3 Now the end is upon you, 
+\q2 for I am sending out my wrath on you, 
+\q and I will judge you according to your ways;
 \q then I will bring all your abominations upon you.
 \q
-\v 4 For my eyes will not pity you, and I will not spare you. Instead, I will bring your ways upon you,
-\q and your abominations will be in your midst, so you will know that I am Yahweh.
+\v 4 For my eye will not pity you, 
+\q2 and I will not spare you.
+\q Instead, I will bring your ways upon you,
+\q2 and your abominations will be in your midst. 
+\q Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 The Lord Yahweh says this:
-\q Disaster! A unique disaster! Behold, it is coming. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa Disaster! A unique disaster! \fqa* some ancient copies have \fqa Disaster after disaster! \fqa* \f*
+\v 5 "The Lord Yahweh says this:
+\q Disaster! A unique disaster!
+\q2 Behold, it is coming. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa Disaster! A unique disaster! \fqa* some ancient copies have \fqa Disaster after disaster! \fqa* \f*
 \q
-\v 6 An end is surely coming. The end has woken up against you. Behold, it is coming!
+\v 6 An end is surely coming. 
+\q2 The end has woken up against you. 
+\q2 Behold, it is coming!
 \q
 \v 7 Your doom is coming to you who inhabit the land.
 \q The time has come; the day is near—
@@ -272,79 +281,121 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Now before long I will pour out my fury against you and fill up my wrath upon you
-\q when I judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you.
+\v 8 Now before long I will pour out my fury against you
+\q2 and fill up my wrath upon you
+\q when I judge you according to your ways
+\q2 and bring all your abominations upon you.
 \q
-\v 9 For my eye will not look compassionately, and I will not spare you. As you have done, I will do to you;
-\q and your abominations will be in your midst so you will know that I am Yahweh, the one punishing you.
+\v 9 For my eye will not look compassionately,
+\q2 and I will not spare you. 
+\q As you have done, I will do to you;
+\q2 and your abominations will be in your midst 
+\q so you will know that I am Yahweh, the one punishing you.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming!
-\q Doom has gone out! The rod has blossomed, arrogance has budded!
+\v 10 Behold, the day!
+\q2 Behold, it is coming!
+\q Doom has gone out! 
+\q2 The rod has blossomed, 
+\q2 arrogance has budded!
 \q
 \v 11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness—
-\q none of them, and none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and none of their importance will last!
+\q2 none of them, and none of their multitude,
+\q2 none of their wealth, and none of their importance will last!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 The time is coming; the day has come close. Do not let the buyer rejoice,
-\q nor the seller mourn, since my anger is on the entire multitude!
+\v 12 The time is coming; the day has come close. 
+\q2 Do not let the buyer rejoice,  nor the seller mourn,
+\q2 since my anger is on the entire multitude!
 \q
 \v 13 For the seller will not return to the land he sold as long as they both live,
-\q because the vision concerning the entire multitude will not be reversed;
-\q and because of their iniquity, none of them will be strengthened!
+\q2 because the vision concerning the entire multitude will not be reversed;
+\q2 and because of their iniquity, none of them will be strengthened!
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but there is no one marching to battle;
-\q since my anger is on the entire multitude.
+\v 14 They have blown the trumpet 
+\q2 and made everything ready, 
+\q but there is no one marching to battle;
+\q2 since my anger is on the entire multitude.
 \q
-\v 15 The sword is on the outside, and plague and famine are inside the building.
-\q Those who are in the field will die by the sword, while famine and plague will consume those in the city.
+\v 15 The sword is on the outside,
+\q2 and plague and famine are inside the building.
+\q Those who are in the field will die by the sword, 
+\q2 while famine and plague will consume those in the city.
 \q
-\v 16 But some survivors will escape from among them, and they will go to the mountains.
-\q Like doves of the valleys, all of them will moan—each man for his iniquity.
+\v 16 But some survivors will escape from among them, 
+\q2 and they will go to the mountains.
+\q Like doves of the valleys, all of them will moan—
+\q2 each man for his iniquity.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17 Every hand will falter and every knee will be weak as water,
+\v 17 Every hand will falter
+\q2 and every knee will be weak as water,
 \q
-\v 18 and they will gird themselves sackcloth, and trembling will cover them;
-\q and shame will be on every face, and baldness on all of their heads.
+\v 18 and they will gird themselves sackcloth, 
+\q2 and trembling will cover them;
+\q and shame will be on every face, 
+\q2 and baldness on all of their heads.
+\b
 \q
-\v 19 They will throw their silver into the streets and their gold will be like refuse. Their silver and their gold
-\q will not be able to rescue them in the day of Yahweh's rage. Their lives will not be saved,
-\q and their hunger will not be satisfied, because their iniquity has become a stumbling block.
+\v 19 They will throw their silver into the streets
+\q2 and their gold will be an impure thing. 
+\q Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them 
+\q2 in the day of Yahweh's rage. 
+\q Their lives will not be saved,
+\q2 and their hunger will not be satisfied, 
+\q2 because their iniquity has become a stumbling block.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 20 In their pride they took the beauty of his jeweled ornaments, and with them they made their idolatrous figures, and their detestable things. Therefore, I am turning these into an unclean thing to them.
+\v 20 In their pride they took the beauty of his jeweled ornaments, 
+\q2 and with them they made their abominable images and their detestable idols.
+\q2 Therefore, I am turning these into an unclean thing to them.
 \q
-\v 21 Then I will give those things into the hand of strangers as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as plunder,
-\q and they will defile them.
+\v 21 Then I will give those things into the hand of strangers as plunder
+\q2 and to the wicked of the earth as plunder,
+\q2 and they will defile them.
 \q
-\v 22 Then I will turn my face away from them when they defile my cherished place;
-\q bandits will enter it and defile it.
+\v 22 Then I will turn my face away from them
+\q2 when they defile my cherished place;
+\q2 bandits will enter it and defile it.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 23 Make a chain, because the land is filled with the judgment of blood,
-\q and the city is full of violence.
+\v 23 Make a chain, 
+\q2 because the land is filled with the judgment of blood,
+\q2 and the city is full of violence.
 \q
-\v 24 So I will bring the most wicked of the nations, and they will possess their houses,
-\q and I will bring an end to the pride of the mighty, for their holy places will be defiled!
+\v 24 So I will bring the most wicked of the nations, 
+\q2 and they will possess their houses,
+\q and I will bring an end to the pride of the mighty, 
+\q2 for their holy places will be defiled!
 \q
-\v 25 Fear will come! They will seek peace, but there will be none.
+\v 25 Fear will come! 
+\q2 They will seek peace, 
+\q2 but there will be none.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 26 Disaster upon disaster will come, and there will be rumor after rumor.
-\q Then they will seek a vision from the prophet, but the law will perish from the priest and advice from the elders.
+\v 26 Disaster upon disaster will come, 
+\q2 and there will be rumor after rumor.
+\q Then they will seek a vision from the prophet, 
+\q2 but the law will perish from the priest
+\q2 and advice from the elders.
 \q
-\v 27 The king will mourn and the prince will dress in despair,
-\q while the hands of the people of the land will tremble in fear. According to their own ways I will do this to them!
-\q I will judge them with their own standards until they know that I am Yahweh.'"
+\v 27 The king will mourn
+\q2 and the prince will be clothed in horror,
+\q2 while the hands of the people of the land will tremble in fear. 
+\q According to their own ways I will do this to them!
+\q2 I will judge them with their own standards 
+\q until they know that I am Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 8
@@ -372,7 +423,7 @@
 \v 11 Seventy elders of the house of Israel were there, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing in their midst. They were standing in front of the images, and each man had his censer in his hand so that the smell of the cloud of incense went up.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one does this in the hidden chamber of his idol, for they say, 'Yahweh does not see us! Yahweh has forsaken the land.'"
+\v 12 He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one does this in the hidden chamber of his idol, for they say, 'Yahweh does not see us! Yahweh has abandoned the land.'"
 \v 13 Then he said to me, "Turn again and see the other great abominations that they are doing."
 
 \s5
@@ -400,8 +451,8 @@
 \v 4 Yahweh said to him, "Pass through the midst of the city—the midst of Jerusalem—and make a mark on the foreheads of those who groan and sigh about all the abominations being performed in the midst of the city."
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Then he spoke to the others within my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and kill. Do not let your eyes have compassion, and do not spare
-\v 6 either old man, young man, virgin, little children or women. Kill all of them! But do not approach anyone who has the mark on his head. Begin at my sanctuary!" So they began with the elders who were in front of the house.
+\v 5 Then he spoke to the others within my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and kill. Do not let your eyes have compassion, and do not spare anyone.
+\v 6 Kill—completely destroy—old man, young man, virgin, little children or women. But do not approach anyone who has the mark on his head. Begin at my sanctuary!" So they began with the elders who were in front of the house.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 He said to them, "Defile the house, and fill its courtyards with the dead. Proceed!" So they went out and attacked the city.
@@ -410,7 +461,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 He said to me, "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood and the city full of perversions, since they say, 'Yahweh has forgotten the land,' and 'Yahweh does not see!'
-\v 10 So then, my eye will not look with compassion, and I will not spare them. I will instead bring it all on their heads."
+\v 10 But as for me, my eye will not pity them, and I will not spare them. I will bring their deeds upon their heads."
 \v 11 Behold! The man dressed in linen who had the scribe's equipment by his side came back. He reported and said, "I have done all that you have commanded."
 
 \s5
@@ -475,12 +526,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
-\v 9 I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgment against you.
+\v 9 I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgments against you.
 \v 10 You will fall by the sword. I will judge you within the borders of Israel so you will know that I am Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 This city will not be your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat within her midst. I will judge you within the borders of Israel.
-\v 12 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, the one whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not carried out. Instead, you have carried out the decrees of the nations that surround you."
+\v 12 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not obeyed. Instead, you have followed the decrees of the nations that surround you."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -488,7 +539,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 15 "Son of man, your brothers! Your brothers! The men of your clan and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, 'They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our possession.'
+\v 15 "Son of man, your brothers! Your brothers! The men of your kindred and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, 'They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our possession.'
 
 \s5
 \v 16 Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the lands where they have gone.'
@@ -545,10 +596,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 18 "Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with shaking and worry.
+\v 18 "Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with shaking and anxiety.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Then say to the people of the land, 'The Lord Yahweh says this concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel, "They will eat their bread with trembling and drink their water while shaking, since the land will be despoiled of its fullness because of the violence of all those who live there.
+\v 19 Then say to the people of the land, 'The Lord Yahweh says this concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel, "They will eat their bread with trembling and drink their water with horror, since the land will be stripped of its fullness because of the violence of all those who dwell there.
 \v 20 So the cities that were inhabited will be desolate, and the land will become a wasteland; so you will know that I am Yahweh."'"
 
 \s5
@@ -564,7 +615,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 27 "Son of man! Behold, the house of Israel has said, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of far off times.'
+\v 27 "Son of man! Behold, the house of Israel has said, 'The vision that he sees is for a time many days from now, and he prophesies of far off times.'
 \v 28 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: My words will not be delayed any longer, but the word that I have spoken will be done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -577,13 +628,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 You have not gone to the breaks in the wall around the house of Israel in order to repair it, in order to resist in battle on the day of Yahweh.
-\v 6 The people have false visions and make false predictions, those who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration." Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true.
-\v 7 Have you not had false visions and made false predictions, you who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration" when I myself have not spoken?'
+\v 6 The people have false visions and practice false divination, those who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration." Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true.
+\v 7 Have you not had false visions and practice false divination, you who say, "Such and such is Yahweh's declaration" when I myself have not spoken?'
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have had false visions and have told lies—therefore this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration against you:
-\v 9 My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who make false predictions. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!
+\v 9 My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who practice false divination. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Because of this, and because they led my people astray and said, "Peace!" when there is no peace, they are building a wall that they will paint with whitewash.'
@@ -612,8 +663,8 @@
 \v 21 I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hand, so they will no longer be trapped in your hands. You will know that I am Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Because you discourage the heart of the righteous person with lies, even though I did not desire his discouragement, and because you encourage instead the actions of the wicked person so that he will not turn from his way to save his life—
-\v 23 therefore you will no longer have false visions or continue to make predictions, for I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.'"
+\v 22 Because you discouraged the heart of the righteous with lies, even though I did not cause him grief, and because you strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he does not turn from his evil ways and save his life,
+\v 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 14
@@ -631,7 +682,7 @@
 \v 6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners staying in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself.
+\v 7 For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners sojourning in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself.
 \v 8 So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh.
 
 \s5
@@ -642,7 +693,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 13 "Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a sin so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both men and animals from the land;
+\v 13 "Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing faithlessness so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both men and animals from the land;
 \v 14 then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land's midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
@@ -659,10 +710,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four punishments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both men and animals from her.
+\v 21 For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four judgments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both men and animals from her.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Yet, behold! A remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land.
+\v 22 Yet, behold! An escaped remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land.
 \v 23 The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
@@ -679,13 +730,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 For I will set my face against them. Though they come out from the fire, yet the fire will consume them; so you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.
-\v 8 Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed sin—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
+\v 8 Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed faithlessness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
 \c 16
 \p
 \v 1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 2 "Son of man, inform Jerusalem about her abominations,
+\v 2 "Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,
 \v 3 and declare, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to Jerusalem: Your beginning and your birth took place in the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.
 
 \s5
@@ -716,8 +767,8 @@
 \v 16 Then you took your clothes and with them you made high places for yourself decorated in various colors, and there you acted like a prostitute. This should not have happened. Nor should such a thing exist.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 You took the fine jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do.
-\v 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and perfumes before them.
+\v 17 You took the beautiful jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do.
+\v 18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and incense before them.
 \v 19 My bread I gave you—made with fine flour, oil, and honey—you set before them for a fragrant aroma, for this is what happened—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
@@ -728,10 +779,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness,
-\v 24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public place.
+\v 24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself a high place in every public place.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty a disgrace, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution.
+\v 25 You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution.
 \v 26 You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger.
 
 \s5
@@ -741,13 +792,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 How sick is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute?
-\v 31 You have built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you scoffed at taking payment.
+\v 30 How weak is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute?
+\v 31 You have built your mounds at the head of every street and made your high places in every public square. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you scoffed at taking payment.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband.
 \v 33 People give payment to every prostitute, but you give your wages to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all around for your acts of prostitution.
-\v 34 So there is a difference between you and other women. No one offers payment for you to act as a prostitute. You are the very opposite. You gave them payment and none was given to you.
+\v 34 So there is a difference between you and other women in your fornication. No one offers payment for you to act like a prostitute. You are the very opposite. You gave them payment and none was given to you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -756,13 +807,13 @@
 \v 37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers that you have met, all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them against you on every side. I will uncover your nakedness to them so they see all your nakedness.
 
 \s5
-\v 38 For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and passion.
+\v 38 For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and jealousy.
 \v 39 I will give you into their hands so they will throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your high places and they will strip you of your clothes and take all of your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare.
 
 \s5
 \v 40 Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords.
-\v 41 They will burn your houses and will perform many acts of punishment on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.
-\v 42 Then I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry.
+\v 41 They will burn your houses and will perform many judgments on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers.
+\v 42 Then I will calm my fury against you; my jealousy will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry.
 
 \s5
 \v 43 Because you did not call to mind the days of your youth and have made me shake with anger because of all these things, therefore, behold! I myself will bring down on your own head the punishment for what you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Have you not added prostitution to all your other detestable practices?
@@ -776,16 +827,16 @@
 \v 46 Your older sister was Samaria and her daughters were the ones living in the north, while your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom and her daughters.
 
 \s5
-\v 47 You not only walked in their ways and copied their behavior and practices, but in all your ways you have been worse than they were.
+\v 47 You not only walked in their ways and committed their disgusting practices, but in all your ways you have acted more corruptly than they.
 \v 48 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—your sister Sodom and her daughters, have not done as much evil as you and your daughters have done.
 
 \s5
-\v 49 Behold! This was the sin of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people.
-\v 50 She was arrogant and committed disgusting actions before me, so I took them away just as you have seen.
+\v 49 Behold! This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people.
+\v 50 She was arrogant and committed disgusting practices before me, so I took them away just as you have seen.
 
 \s5
-\v 51 Neither did Samaria commit even half of your sins; instead, you have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have shown that your sisters were better than you because of all the disgusting things that you do!
-\v 52 Especially you, show your own shame; in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you, because of the sins you committed in all those disgusting ways. Your sisters now seem better than you. Especially you, show your own shame, for in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you.
+\v 51 Samaria did not commit even half of your sins. You have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have made your sisters appear more righteous than you because of all the disgusting things you have done!
+\v 52 Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished justification for your sisters. Because of your sins, which you committed so abominably, you have made your sisters appear to be more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -795,8 +846,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 56 Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud,
-\v 57 before your wickedness was revealed. But now you are an object of scorn to the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her. People all about despise you. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa Edom \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and some modern translations have \fqa Aram \fqa* , that is, Syria. \f*
-\v 58 You will show your shame and your disgusting actions!—this is Yahweh's declaration!
+\v 57 before your wickedness was revealed. Now you are scorned by the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her—all those around you despise you. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa Edom \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and some modern translations have \fqa Aram \fqa* , that is, Syria. \f*
+\v 58 You will show your shame and your disgusting practices!—this is Yahweh's declaration!
 
 \s5
 \v 59 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.
@@ -815,39 +866,23 @@
 \p
 \v 1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 2 "Son of man, present a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.
-\v 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
-\q A large eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers,
-\q and that was multicolored went to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree.
-\q
-\v 4 It broke off the tips of the branches and took them to the land of Canaan;
-\q he planted it in a city of merchants.
+\v 3 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: A large eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers, and that was multicolored went to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree.
+\v 4 It broke off the tips of the branches and took them to the land of Canaan; he planted it in a city of merchants.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 5 He also took some seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil.
-\q He placed it beside a large body of water like a willow.
-\q
-\v 6 Then it sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground.
-\q Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew under it.
-\q So it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.
+\p
+\v 5 He also took some seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside a large body of water like a willow.
+\v 6 Then it sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 7 But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers.
-\q Behold! This vine turned its roots toward the eagle,
-\q and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it would be watered.
-\q
-\v 8 It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water
-\q so it would produce branches and sprout fruit, to become a magnificent vine.'
+\p
+\v 7 But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers. Behold! This vine turned its roots toward the eagle, and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it would be watered.
+\v 8 It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water so it would produce branches and sprout fruit, to become a glorious vine.'
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 9 Say to the people, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it prosper?
-\q Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will wither?
-\q No strong arm or many people will be needed to pull it out by its roots.
-\q
-\v 10 So behold! After it has been planted, will it grow? Will it not wither when the eastern wind touches it?
-\q It will completely wither away in the garden plot where it sprouted.'"
+\p
+\v 9 Say to the people, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it prosper? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will wither? No strong arm or many people will be needed to pull it out by its roots.
+\v 10 So behold! After it has been planted, will it grow? Will it not wither when the eastern wind touches it? It will completely wither away in the garden plot where it sprouted.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -855,11 +890,12 @@
 \v 12 "Speak to the rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean? Behold! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her princes and brought them to him in Babylon.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Then he took a royal descendant, made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath. He took away the powerful people of the land,
+\v 13 Then he took a royal descendant, made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath. He took away the mighty men of the land,
 \v 14 so the kingdom might become lowly and not lift itself up. By keeping his covenant the land will survive.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But the king of Jerusalem rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt to acquire horses and an army. Will he succeed? Will the one doing these things escape? If he breaks the covenant, will he escape?
+\p
 \v 16 As I live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—he will surely die in the land of the king who made him king, the king whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke. He will die in the middle of Babylon.
 
 \s5
@@ -867,13 +903,14 @@
 \v 18 For the king despised his oath by breaking the covenant. Behold, he reached out with his hand to make a promise and yet he did all these things. He will not escape.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, was it not my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke? So I will bring his punishment on his head!
-\v 20 I will spread my net out over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for his treason that he committed when he betrayed me!
+\v 20 I will spread my net out over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for his faithlessness that he committed when he betrayed me!
 \v 21 All of his refugees in his armies will fall by the sword, and the ones who remain will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; I have declared this would happen."
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'So I myself will take away the highest part of the cedar tree, and I will plant it away from its tender branches. I will break it off, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain.
+\v 22 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'So I myself will take a twig from the highest part of the cedar tree and I will plant it. I will break off a tender twig, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain.
 \v 23 I will plant it on the mountains of Israel so it will bear branches and produce fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar so that every winged bird will live under it. They will nest in the shade of its branches.
 
 \s5
@@ -883,8 +920,7 @@
 \c 18
 \p
 \v 1 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,
-\v 2 "What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say,
-\q 'Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are made blunt'?
+\v 2 "What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say, 'Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are made blunt'?
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -894,13 +930,13 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 What can be said about a man who is righteous and who carries out justice and righteousness—
-\v 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her monthly period, is he a righteous man?
+\v 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her impurity, is he a righteous man?
 
 \s5
-\v 7 What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, and he gives back to the debtor what was put up as security for a loan, and he does not commit theft but gives his food to the hungry and he covers the naked with clothes, is he a righteous man?
+\v 7 What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, who gives back to the debtor his pledge, and who does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing—is he a righteous man?
 
 \s5
-\v 8 What can be said about a man who does not charge too much interest for the money he loans, and he does not take too much profit for what he sells? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people.
+\v 8 What can be said about a man who does not loan money for usury or take interest but keeps his hand from injustice? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people.
 \v 9 If that man walks in my statutes and keeps my decrees to act faithfully, then the promise for this righteous man is this: He will surely live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
@@ -909,8 +945,8 @@
 \v 11 (though his father has not done any of these things). He eats upon the mountains and he defiles his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him?
 
 \s5
-\v 12 This man oppresses the poor and needy, and he seizes and robs, and he does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting actions,
-\v 13 and he lends out money at too high interest and he makes too much profit on what he sells, should that man live? Surely he will not! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.
+\v 12 He oppresses the poor and needy; he commits robbery and does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting practices,
+\v 13 and he loans money for usury and takes interest, should that man live? Surely he will not live! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -919,8 +955,8 @@
 \v 15 That son does not eat upon the mountains, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him?
 
 \s5
-\v 16 That son does not oppress anyone, or seize a pledge, or take stolen things, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothes.
-\v 17 That son does not oppress anyone or take interest that is too high or make too much profit for a loan, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father's sin: He will surely live!
+\v 16 That son does not oppress anyone, or require a pledge, or commit robbery, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothing.
+\v 17 That son does not oppress anyone or loan money for usury or take interest, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father's iniquity: He will surely live!
 
 \s5
 \v 18 His father, since he oppressed others by extortion and robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die in his iniquity.
@@ -932,14 +968,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and keeps all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die.
+\v 21 But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and obeys all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die.
 \v 22 All the transgressions that he has committed will not be called to mind against him. He will live by the righteousness that he practices.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Do I greatly rejoice over the death of the wicked—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and not in his turning away from his way so that he may live?
 
 \s5
-\v 24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treason. So he will die in the sins that he committed.
+\v 24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treachery. So he will die in the sins that he committed.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -963,50 +999,78 @@
 \p
 \v 1 "Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel
 \v 2 and say,
-\q 'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son;
-\q in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.
+\q 'Who was your mother? 
+\q2 A lioness, she lived with a lion's son;
+\q2 in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.
 \q
-\v 3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.
+\v 3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion,
+\q2 a lion who learned to tear apart his prey, 
+\q2 and then he devoured men.
 \q
-\v 4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
+\v 4 Then the nations heard about him. 
+\q2 He was caught in their trap, 
+\q2 and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.
+\v 5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, 
+\q2 her expectation was now gone,
+\q so she took another of her cubs 
+\q2 and raised him to become a young lion.
 \q
-\v 6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.
+\v 6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. 
+\q2 He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; 
+\q2 he devoured men.
 \q
-\v 7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities.
-\q The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa He seized their widows \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and many modern translations have \fqa He destroyed their fortresses \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 He seized their widows
+\q2  and ruined their cities.
+\q The land and its fullness were made desolate 
+\q2 because of the sound of his roaring. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa He seized their widows \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and many modern translations have \fqa He destroyed their fortresses \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces;
-\q they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.
+\v 8 But the nations came against him
+\q2 from the surrounding provinces;
+\q they spread their nets over him. 
+\q2 He was caught in their trap.
 \q
-\v 9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.
-\q They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.
+\v 9 With hooks they put him in a cage
+\q2 and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.
+\q They brought him to the strongholds
+\q2 so that his voice would no longer be heard
+\q2 on the mountains of Israel.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa in your blood \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and many modern translations have \fqa in your vineyard \fqa* . \f*
-\q it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.
+\v 10 Your mother was like a vine 
+\q2 planted in your blood beside the water. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa in your blood \fqa* , some ancient Hebrew copies and many modern translations have \fqa in your vineyard \fqa* . \f*
+\q It was fruitful and full of branches 
+\q2 because of the abundance of water.
 \q
 \v 11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters,
-\q and its size was exalted above the branches,
-\q and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.
+\q2 and its size was exalted above the branches,
+\q2 and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.
-\q Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.
+\v 12 But the vine was uprooted in fury 
+\q2 and thrown down to the earth,
+\q2 and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.
+\q Its strong branches were broken off and withered
+\q2 and fire consumed them.
 \q
-\v 13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.
+\v 13 So now it is planted in the wilderness,
+\q2 in a land of drought and thirst.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit.
-\q There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation."
+\v 14 For fire went out from her large branches
+\q2  and consumed its fruit.
+\q There is no strong branch on it, 
+\q2 no scepter to rule.' 
+\p This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation."
 
 \s5
 \c 20
@@ -1026,7 +1090,7 @@
 \v 7 I said to them, "Let each man throw away the detestable things from before his eyes and the idols of Egypt. Do not make yourselves unclean; I am Yahweh your God."
 
 \s5
-\v 8 But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. Each man did not throw away the detestable things from before his eyes nor forsake the idols of Egypt, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath among them in the middle of the land of Egypt.
+\v 8 But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. Each man did not throw away the detestable things from before his eyes nor abandon the idols of Egypt, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath among them in the middle of the land of Egypt.
 \v 9 I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were staying. I made myself known to them, in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
 
 \s5
@@ -1036,13 +1100,13 @@
 \v 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between myself and them, for them to know that I am Yahweh who makes them holy.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes; instead, they rejected my decrees, by which a man will live if he obeys them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths, so I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness in order to end them.
+\v 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes; instead, they rejected my decrees, by which a man will live if he obeys them, and they greatly profaned my Sabbaths. So, I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness in order to end them.
 \v 14 But I acted for my name's sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out of Egypt.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 So I myself also raised my hand to swear an oath to them in the wilderness not to bring them into the land that I had been going to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands.
 \v 16 I swore this because they had rejected my decrees and did not walk in my statutes, and they profaned my Sabbaths, since their hearts walked after their idols.
-\v 17 But my eye spared them from their destruction and I did not annihilate them in the wilderness.
+\v 17 But my eye spared them from their destruction and I did not completely destroy them in the wilderness.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1076,7 +1140,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I will certainly reign over you with a mighty hand, a raised arm, and fury that will be poured out on you.
-\v 34 I will bring you out from the other peoples and will gather you out of the countries among whom you have been scattered. I will do this with a mighty hand and with fury poured out.
+\v 34 I will bring you out from the other peoples and will gather you out of the lands among whom you have been scattered. I will do this with a mighty hand and with fury poured out.
 \v 35 Then I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face.
 
 \s5
@@ -1089,8 +1153,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 40 For on my holy mountain, on the mountain peak of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—all of the house of Israel will worship me there in the land. I will be pleased to require your offerings there, and also the firstfruits of your tribute with all your holy things.
-\v 41 I will accept you like fragrant incense when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. I will show myself as holy among you for the nations to see.
+\v 40 For on my holy mountain, on the mountain peak of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—all of the house of Israel will worship me there in the land. I will be pleased to require your contributions there, and also the firstfruits of your tribute with all your holy things.
+\v 41 I will accept you like fragrant incense when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you have been scattered. I will show myself as holy among you for the nations to see.
 
 \s5
 \v 42 Then, when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I have lifted up my hand to swear to give to your fathers, you will know that I am Yahweh.
@@ -1120,76 +1184,89 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan before their eyes!
-\v 7 Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will faint away, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
+\v 7 Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will melt, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 9 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord says this:
-\q "Say: A sword! A sword! It will be sharpened and polished!
+\q Say: A sword! A sword! 
+\q2 It will be sharpened and polished!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 It will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! It will be polished in order to be like lightning!
-\q Should we rejoice in my son's scepter? The coming sword hates every such rod!
+\v 10 It will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! 
+\q2 It will be polished in order to be like lightning!
+\q Should we rejoice in my son's scepter? 
+\q2 The coming sword hates every such rod!
 \q
-\v 11 So the sword will be given to be polished, and then to be grasped by the hand!
-\q The sword is sharpened and it is polished and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!"'"
+\v 11 So the sword will be given to be polished, 
+\q2 and then to be grasped by the hand!
+\q The sword is sharpened and it is polished
+\q2 and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!'"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 Call for help and lament, son of man! For that sword has come against my people! It is against all the leaders of Israel.
-\q They are thrown against the sword with my people. Therefore, slap your thigh!
+\v 12 Call for help and wail, son of man! 
+\q2 For that sword has come against my people!
+\q2 It is against all the leaders of Israel.
+\q They are thrown against the sword with my people. 
+\q2 Therefore, slap your thigh!
 \q
-\v 13 For there is a trial, but what if the scepter does not last?—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 13 For there is a trial, 
+\q2 but what if the scepter that despises does not last?
+\q —this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 Now you, son of man, prophesy and hit your two hands together, for the sword will attack even a third time!
-\q A sword for the ones to be slaughtered! It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered, piercing them everywhere!
+\v 14 Now you, son of man, prophesy
+\q2  and hit your two hands together,
+\q for the sword will attack even a third time!
+\q2 A sword for the ones to be slaughtered!
+\q It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered,
+\q2 piercing them everywhere!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.
+\v 15 In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, 
+\q2 I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. 
+\q2 Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.
 \q
-\v 16 You, sword! Strike to the right! Strike to the left! Go wherever your face is turned.
+\v 16 Strike sharply to the righthand side! 
+\q2 Strike to the lefthand side! 
+\q2 Go wherever your face is turned.
 \q
-\v 17 For I will also hit my two hands together, and then I will bring my fury to rest! I, Yahweh, declare it!"
+\v 17 For I will also hit my two hands together, 
+\q2 and then I will bring my fury to rest! 
+\q I, Yahweh, declare it!"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,
 \v 19 "Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city.
-\v 20 Mark one road for the Babylonian army to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified.
+\v 20 Mark one road for the sword to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 For the king of Babylon will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver.
-\q
-\v 22 In his right hand will be an omen about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter,
-\q to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates,
-\q to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.
-\q
-\v 23 It will seem to be a useless omen in the eyes
-\q of the ones in Jerusalem, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of violating their treaty in order to besiege them!
+\v 22 In his right hand will be a divination about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter, to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.
+\v 23 It will seem to be a false divination in their eye,  those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of iniquity in order to besiege them!
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered,
-\q making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen—
-\q because you have done this you will be taken in hand.
+\p
+\v 24 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen—because you have done this you will be taken in hand.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended,
-\q
 \v 26 the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted!
-\q
 \v 27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 28 So you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be like lightning!
-\v 29 While prophets see empty visions for you, while they perform rituals to come up with lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end.
+\v 29 While prophets see empty visions for you, while they practice divination to make up lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1208,7 +1285,7 @@
 \v 3 You must say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself unclean.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you a reproach to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands.
+\v 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands.
 \v 5 Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.
 
 \s5
@@ -1219,9 +1296,9 @@
 \v 9 Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their menstrual period.
+\v 10 Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their impurity.
 \v 11 Men who commit abominations with their neighbors' wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you.
-\v 12 These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have taken interest and gained too much profit, and you have damaged your neighbors through oppression, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 12 These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have loaned money for usury and taken interest, and you have treated your neighbors violently for profit by extortion, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1249,8 +1326,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Her priests do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst.
-\v 27 Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life, to make a profit dishonestly.
-\v 28 Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash; they see false visions and predict falsehoods to them. They say "The Lord Yahweh says this" when Yahweh has not spoken.
+\v 27 Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life for unjust gain.
+\v 28 Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash—their seers of false visions and diviners of lies. They say "The Lord Yahweh says this" when Yahweh has not spoken.
 
 \s5
 \v 29 The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice.
@@ -1270,7 +1347,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant,
-\v 6 the governor who wore blue, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses.
+\v 6 for the governor clothed in purple, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses.
 \v 7 So she gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the best of Assyria's men, and she made herself unclean with everyone she lusted for—and with all their idols.
 
 \s5
@@ -1280,7 +1357,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she lusted even more passionately and acted like a prostitute even more than her sister.
+\v 11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, but her lust was more passionate than her sister's, and her prostitution was worse.
 \v 12 She lusted for the Assyrians, the governors and the dominating officials who dressed impressively, who were men riding horses. All of them were strong, handsome men.
 \v 13 I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters.
 
@@ -1290,64 +1367,56 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 16 As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea.
-\v 17 Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their promiscuousness. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust.
+\v 17 Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their fornication. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 18 When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness,
-\q I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.
-\q
-\v 19 Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth,
-\q when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.
+\v 18 When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness, I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.
+\v 19 Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 20 So she lusted for her lovers,
-\q whose private parts were like those of donkeys, and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.
-\q
+\v 20 So she lusted for her lovers, whose private parts were like those of donkeys and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.
 \v 21 This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 22 Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will turn your lovers against you.
-\q Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side:
-\q
-\v 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them,
-\q strong, handsome men, governors and commanders, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses.
+\p
+\v 22 Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will turn your lovers against you. Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side:
+\v 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, strong, handsome men, governors and officials, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 24 They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people.
-\q They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around.
-\q I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will punish you with their actions.
-\q
+\v 24 They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people. They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around. I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will judge you according to their judgments.
 \v 25 For I will set my jealous anger on you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and your daughters, and your survivors will be devoured by fire.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your jewelry.
+\v 26 They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your beautiful jewelry.
 \v 27 So I will remove your shameful behavior from you and your acts of prostitution from the land of Egypt. You will not lift up your eyes toward them with longing, and you will think of Egypt no longer.'
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 28 For the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I will give you into the hand of the ones you hate, back into the hand of the ones from whom you had turned away.
-\v 29 They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all your possessions and abandon you naked and bare, and your nakedness will be uncovered just as when you engaged in promiscuity and prostitutions.
+\v 29 They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all the products of your labor and abandon you naked and bare. The nakedness of your fornication will be uncovered—and your wicked deeds and your fornications.
 
 \s5
 \v 30 These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols.
 \v 31 You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.'
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 32 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'You will drink your sister's cup that is deep and large.
-\q You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—this cup contains a great amount.
+\p
+\v 32 The Lord Yahweh says this,
+\q 'You will drink your sister's cup that is deep and large.
+\q2 You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—
+\q2 this cup contains a great amount.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
-\q the cup of horror and devastation;
-\q the cup of your sister Samaria.
+\q2 the cup of horror and devastation;
+\q2 the cup of your sister Samaria.
 \q
-\v 34 You will drink it and drain it empty; then you will shatter it and tear your breasts with the pieces.
-\q For I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
+\v 34 You will drink it and drain it empty; 
+\q2 then you will shatter it 
+\q2 and tear your breasts with the pieces.
+\q1 For I have declared it—
+\q2 this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1355,7 +1424,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 36 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting actions,
+\v 36 Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting practices,
 \v 37 since they have committed adultery, and since there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even caused their sons to pass through the fire, as food for their idols.
 
 \s5
@@ -1367,11 +1436,11 @@
 \v 41 There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil.
 
 \s5
-\v 42 So the sound of a noisy crowd was around her; including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.
+\v 42 So the sound of a carefree crowd was around her, including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 43 Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, 'Now they will be sexually immoral with her, and she with them.'
+\v 43 Then I said of her who was worn out by adulteries, 'Now they will fornicate with her, and she with them.'
 \v 44 They went to her as men go to a prostitute. In this way they went to Oholah and Oholibah, immoral women.
 \v 45 But righteous men will pass judgment and punish them as adulteresses, and they will punish them with the sentence for those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
 
@@ -1391,13 +1460,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
-\q Place the cooking pot. Place it and pour water into it.
+\q Place the cooking pot. 
+\q2 Place it and pour water into it.
 \q
-\v 4 Gather pieces of food within it, every good piece—the thigh and shoulder—
-\q and fill it with the best bones.
+\v 4 Gather pieces of food within it, 
+\q2 every good piece—the thigh and shoulder—
+\q2 and fill it with the best bones.
 \q
-\v 5 Take the best of the flock and pile up the bones under it.
-\q Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
+\v 5 Take the best of the flock,
+\q2 and pile up the bones under it.
+\q Bring it to a boil 
+\q2 and cook the bones in it.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1428,7 +1501,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 16 "Son of man! Behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow.
+\v 16 "Son of man! Behold, I am taking the delight of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow.
 \v 17 You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not cover your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives."
 
 \s5
@@ -1442,12 +1515,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Then you will do exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men!
-\v 23 Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will melt away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother.
+\v 23 Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will rot away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother.
 \v 24 So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 "But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their temple, which is their joy, their pride, and what they see and desire—and when I take away their sons and daughters—
+\v 25 "But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their stronghold, the joy of their splendor, and the delight of their eyes and the burden of their soul, their sons and daughters,
 \v 26 on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news!
 \v 27 On that day your mouth will be opened up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh."
 
@@ -1464,7 +1537,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 For the Lord Yahweh says this: You have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt within you against the land of Israel.
-\v 7 Therefore, behold! I will strike you with my hand and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from among the countries! I will destroy you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'
+\v 7 Therefore, behold! I will strike you with my hand and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from among the lands! I will destroy you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1483,8 +1556,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'The Philistines have taken vengeance with malice and from within themselves they tried to destroy Judah again and again.
-\v 16 So this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold! I will reach out with my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant who are along the seacoast.
+\v 15 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because the Philistines have acted vengefully and taken vengeance with contempt in their heart as enemies trying to destroy Judah for all time,
+\v 16 this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold! I will reach out with my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant who are along the seacoast.
 \v 17 For I will take great vengeance against them with furious acts of punishment, so they will know that I am Yahweh, when I take my vengeance on them.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -1503,16 +1576,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 For this is what Yahweh says: Behold, from the north I am bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a great many people.
-\v 8 He will kill your daughters in the field. He will set up a siege work and build a ramp against your walls and raise up shields against you.
+\v 7 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold, from the north I am bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a great crowd of people.
+\v 8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will set up a siege work and build a ramp against your walls and raise up shields against you.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 He will place his battering rams to hit against your walls, and his tools will tear down your towers.
+\v 9 He will place his battering rams to hit against your walls, and with his tools he will tear down your towers.
 \v 10 His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake with the sound of horsemen, wagons, and chariots. When he enters your gates, he will enter as men come into a city whose walls have been broken down.
 \v 11 The hooves of his horses will trample all of your streets. He will kill your people with the sword and your mighty stone pillars will fall to the ground.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your timber, and the rubble they will throw into the waters.
+\v 12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your delightful homes. Your stones, your timber, and the rubble they will throw into the waters.
 \v 13 I will stop the noise of your songs. The sound of your harps will be heard no more.
 \v 14 I will make you a bare rock, you will become a place where nets are spread out to dry. You will never be built again, for I, Lord Yahweh have spoken—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
@@ -1523,11 +1596,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 They will lift up a lament for you and say to you,
-\q How you, who were inhabited by sailors, have been destroyed. The famous city that was so strong—it is now gone from the sea.
-\q The ones living in her once spread a terror about themselves upon everyone who lived near them.
+\q How you, who were inhabited by sailors,
+\q2 have been destroyed.
+\q The famous city that was so strong—
+\q2 it is now gone from the sea.
+\q The ones living in her
+\q2 once spread a terror about themselves
+\q2 upon everyone who lived near them.
 \q
 \v 18 Now the coasts tremble on the day of your downfall.
-\q The islands in the sea are terrified, because you are no longer in your place.'
+\q2 The islands in the sea are terrified,
+\q2 because you are no longer in your place.'
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1540,38 +1619,52 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 2 "Now you, son of man, begin a lamentation concerning Tyre,
-\v 3 and say to Tyre, who lives within the gates of the sea, merchants of peoples to many islands, the Lord Yahweh says this to you:
-\q Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.'
+\v 3 and say to Tyre, who lives within the gates of the sea, merchants of peoples to many islands, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to you:
+\b
+\q Tyre, you have said, "I am perfect in beauty."
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.
+\v 4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; 
+\q2 your builders have perfected your beauty.
 \q
 \v 5 They have made all your planks with cypress from Senir;
-\q they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
+\q2 they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 They made your oars from the oaks of Bashan;
-\q they made your decks out of cypress wood from Cyprus, and they overlaid them with ivory.
+\q2 they made your decks out of cypress wood from Cyprus, 
+\q2 and they overlaid them with ivory.
 \q
-\v 7 Your sails were made from colorful linen from Egypt that served as your banner;
-\q the colors of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah are used for the awning on your boat.
+\v 7 Your sails were made from colorful linen from Egypt
+\q2 that served as your signal flag;
+\q the colors of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
+\q2 are used for the awning on your boat.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Those who were living in Sidon and Arvad were your rowers;
-\q the sages of Tyre were within you; they were your pilots.
+\q2 the wise men of Tyre were within you; 
+\q2 they were your pilots.
 \q
-\v 9 Highly experienced craftsmen from Byblos filled your seams;
-\q all the ships of the sea and their sailors among you were carrying your merchandise for trade.
+\v 9 The elders of Byblos filled your seams;
+\q2 all the ships of the sea and their sailors among you 
+\q2 were carrying your merchandise for trade.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army, your men of war.
-\q they hung shield and helmet within you; they showed your splendor.
+\v 10 Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army,
+\q2 your men of war.
+\q They hung shield and helmet within you; 
+\q2 they showed your splendor.
 \q
-\v 11 The men of Arvad and Helek in your army were on your walls surrounding you, and the people of Gammad were in your towers. They hung up their shields on your walls all around you! They completed your beauty.
+\v 11 The men of Arvad and Helek in your army 
+\q2 were on your walls surrounding you, 
+\q2 and the people of Gammad were in your towers. 
+\q They hung up their shields on your walls all around you! 
+\q2 They completed your beauty.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1579,67 +1672,85 @@
 \v 13 Greece, \f + \ft Some modern English translations read, \fqa Javan \fqa* . \f* Tubal, and Meshech—they traded slaves and in items made of bronze. They handled your merchandise.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 Beth Togarmah provided horses, stallions, and mules as your merchandise.
-\v 15 The men of Rhodes were your traders on many coasts. Merchandise was in your hand; they sent back horn, ivory, and ebony as tribute!
+\v 14 Beth Togarmah provided horses, warhorses, and mules as your merchandise.
+\v 15 The men of Rhodes traded with you on many coasts. Merchandise was in your hand; they sent back horn, ivory, and ebony as payment!
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Aram was a dealer in your many products; they provided emeralds, purple, colored cloth, fine fabric, pearls, and rubies as your merchandise.
+\v 16 Aram was a trading partner for the many products of your labor; they provided emeralds, purple, colored cloth, fine fabric, pearls, and rubies as your merchandise.
 \v 17 Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you. They provided wheat from Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balsam as your merchandise.
-\v 18 Damascus was a trader of all your products, of all your enormous wealth, and of the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zahar.
+\v 18 Damascus was a trading partner for the many products of your labor, of all your enormous wealth, and of the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zahar.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Dan and Javan from Izal provided you with merchandise of wrought iron, cinnamon, and calamus. This became merchandise for you.
 \v 20 Dedan was your dealer in fine saddle blankets.
-\v 21 Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar were traders with you; they provided you with lambs, rams and goats.
+\v 21 Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar were your trading partners; they provided you with lambs, rams and goats.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah came to sell you the best of every spice and in all kinds of precious gems; they traded gold for your merchandise.
-\v 23 Haran, Kanneh, and Eden were traders with you, along with Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad.
+\v 23 Haran, Kanneh, and Eden were your trading partners, along with Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 These were your dealers in ornate robes of violet cloths with woven colors, and in blankets of multicolored, embroidered, and well-woven cloth in your marketplaces.
-\p
-\v 25 The ships of Tarshish were the transporters of your merchandise!
-\q So you were filled up, heavily laden with cargo in the heart of the seas!
+\q
+\v 25 The ships of Tarshish 
+\q2 were the transporters of your merchandise!
+\q So you were filled up, 
+\q2 heavily laden with cargo in the heart of the seas!
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 26 Your rowers have brought you into vast seas;
-\q the eastern wind has broken you in the middle of them.
+\q2 the eastern wind has broken you in the middle of them.
 \q
-\v 27 Your wealth, merchandise, and trade goods; your sailors and pilots, and ship builders; your traders of merchandise and all the men of war who are in you, and all your crew—they will sink into the depths of the sea on the day of your destruction.
+\v 27 Your wealth, merchandise, and trade goods; 
+\q2 your sailors and pilots, and ship builders; 
+\q your traders of merchandise and all the men of war who are in you, 
+\q2 and all your company—
+\q they will sink into the depths of the sea
+\q2 on the day of your overthrow.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 28 Cities at the sea will tremble at the sound of your pilots' cry;
+\v 28 Cities at the sea will tremble 
+\q2 at the sound of your pilots' cry.
 \q
 \v 29 All those who handle oars will come down from their ships;
-\q mariners and all the pilots on the sea will stand on the land.
+\q2 mariners and all the pilots on the sea will stand on the land.
 \q
-\v 30 Then they will make you listen to their voice and will wail bitterly;
-\q they will cast dust up on their heads. They will roll about in ashes.
+\v 30 Then they will make their voices heard over you
+\q2 and they will cry aloud bitterly;
+\q they will cast dust up on their heads.
+\q2 They will roll about in ashes.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 31 They will shave their heads bald for you and bind themselves with sackcloth,
-\q and they will weep bitterly over you and they will cry out.
+\v 31 They will shave their heads bald for you
+\q2 and bind themselves with sackcloth,
+\q and they will weep bitterly over you
+\q2 and they will cry out.
 \q
-\v 32 They will lift up their wails of lamentation for you and sing dirges over you,
-\q Who is like Tyre, who has now been brought to silence in the middle of the sea?
+\v 32 They will lift up their wails of lamentation for you
+\q2 and sing dirges over you,
+\q Who is like Tyre, who has now been brought to silence
+\q2 in the middle of the sea?
 \q
-\v 33 When your merchandise went ashore from the sea, it satisfied many peoples;
-\q you enriched the kings of the earth with your great wealth and merchandise!
+\v 33 When your merchandise went ashore from the sea, 
+\q2 it satisfied many peoples;
+\q you enriched the kings of the earth
+\q2 with your great wealth and merchandise!
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 34 But when you were shattered by the seas, by deep waters,
-\q your merchandise and all your crew sank!
+\q2 your merchandise and all your company sank!
 \q
 \v 35 All the inhabitants of the coasts were appalled at you,
-\q and their kings shuddered in horror! Their faces trembled!
+\q2 and their kings bristled in horror! 
+\q2 Their faces trembled!
 \q
-\v 36 The merchants of the people hiss at you;
-\q you have become a horror, and you will be no more forever."
+\v 36 The traders among the people hiss at you;
+\q2 you have become a horror, 
+\q2 and you will be no more forever.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 28
@@ -1677,24 +1788,24 @@
 \v 17 Your heart was arrogant with your beauty; you ruined your wisdom because of your splendor. I have sent you down to the earth. I have placed you before kings so they may see you.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 Because of your many sins and your dishonest trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I have made fire come out from you; it will consume you. I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who look at you.
-\v 19 All the ones who knew you among the peoples will shudder at you; they will be horrified, and you will be no more forever.'"
+\v 18 Because of your many iniquities and your dishonest trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I have made fire come out from you; it will consume you. I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who look at you.
+\v 19 All the ones who knew you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified, and you will be no more forever.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 21 "Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her.
-\v 22 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Sidon! For I will be glorified in your midst so your people will know that I am Yahweh when I execute justice within you. I will be shown to be holy in you.
+\v 22 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Sidon! For I will be glorified in your midst. Then they will know that I am Yahweh when I execute judgments within her. I will be shown to be holy in her.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 I will send out a plague in you and blood in your streets, and the slain will fall in your midst. When the sword comes against you from all around, then you will know that I am Yahweh.
+\v 23 I will send out a plague in her and blood in her streets, and those who are fatally wounded will fall in the midst of her. When the sword comes against her from all around, then they will know that I am Yahweh.
 \p
-\v 24 Then there will no longer be pricking briars and painful thorns for the house of Israel from all those around her who despise her people, so they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'
+\v 24 Then there will no longer be pricking briers and painful thorns for the house of Israel from all those around them who despise them, so they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 The Lord Yahweh says this, 'When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and when I am set apart among them, so the nations may see, then they will make their homes in the land I will give to my servant Jacob.
-\v 26 Then they will live securely within her and build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute justice on all the ones who now despise them from all around; so they will know that I am Yahweh their God!'"
+\v 26 Then they will live securely within her and build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments on all the ones who now despise them from all around; so they will know that I am Yahweh their God!'"
 
 \s5
 \c 29
@@ -1703,23 +1814,35 @@
 \v 2 "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.
 \v 3 Declare and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
 \q Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
-\q You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river,
-\q that says, "My river is my own. I have made it for myself."
-
-\s5
-\v 4 For I will place hooks in your jaw, and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; I will lift you up from the middle of your river along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.
-\q
-\v 5 I will throw you down into the wilderness, you and all the fish from your river.
-\q You will fall on the open field; you will not be gathered nor lifted up.
-\q I will give you as food to the living things of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.
+\q2 You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river,
+\q2 that says, "My river is my own. I have made it for myself."
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh,
-\q because they have been a reed stalk to the house of Israel.
+\v 4 For I will place hooks in your jaw, 
+\q2 and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; 
+\q I will lift you up from the middle of your river
+\q2 along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.
 \q
-\v 7 When they took hold of you in their hand, you broke and tore open their shoulder;
-\q and when they leaned on you, you were broken, and you caused their legs to be unsteady.
+\v 5 I will throw you down into the wilderness, 
+\q2 you and all the fish from your river.
+\q You will fall on the open field; 
+\q2 you will not gather together or assemble.
+\q I will give you as food to the living things of the earth
+\q2 and to the birds of the heavens.
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know
+\q2 that I am Yahweh,
+\q because they have been a walking stick
+\q2 made of a reed to the house of Israel.
+\q
+\v 7 When they took hold of you in their hand, 
+\q2 you broke and tore open their shoulder;
+\q and when they leaned on you, 
+\q2 you were broken, 
+\q2 and you caused their legs to be unsteady.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1738,7 +1861,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations.
-\v 16 The Egyptians will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, they will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'"
+\v 16 Egypt will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, it will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1746,11 +1869,11 @@
 \v 18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against it.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will take away its wealth, plunder its possessions, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages.
+\v 19 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will capture its loot, steal its plunder, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages.
 \v 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
+\v 21 On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I will make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 30
@@ -1758,26 +1881,38 @@
 \v 1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 2 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this:
 \q Wail, "Woe is the coming day."
-\q
-\v 3 The day is near. The day is near for Yahweh. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for nations.
+\q2
+\v 3 The day is near. 
+\q2 The day is near for Yahweh. 
+\q It will be a day of clouds
+\q2 a time of doom for nations.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 Then a sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the killed people fall in Egypt—
-\q when they take her wealth, and when her foundations are ruined.
+\v 4 Then a sword will come against Egypt,
+\q2  and there will be anguish in Cush 
+\q when the killed people fall in Egypt—
+\q2 when they take her wealth, 
+\q2 and when her foundations are ruined.
 \p
 \v 5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, and Libya, together with the people belonging to the covenant—they will all fall by the sword.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Yahweh says this:
-\q So the ones who support Egypt will fall, and the pride of her strength will go down.
-\q From Migdol to Syene their soldiers will fall by the sword—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
-\m
-\v 7 They will be appalled in the midst of the abandoned lands, and their cities will be among all the ruined cities.
+\q So the ones who support Egypt will fall, 
+\q2 and the pride of her strength will go down.
+\q From Migdol to Syene their soldiers will fall by the sword—
+\q2 this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\q1
+\v 7 They will be appalled in the midst of the abandoned lands, 
+\q2 and their cities will be among all the ruined cities.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I set fire in Egypt, and when all of her helpers are destroyed.
+\q
+\v 8 Then they will know that I am Yahweh, 
+\q2 when I set fire in Egypt, 
+\q2 and when all of her helpers are destroyed.
 \p
 \v 9 In that day messengers will go out from before me in ships to terrorize a secure Cush, and there will be anguish among them on the day of Egypt's doom. For behold! It is coming.
 
@@ -1791,7 +1926,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will destroy idols, and I will bring an end to the worthless idols of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will put terror on the land of Egypt.
+\v 13 The Lord Yahweh says this: I will destroy idols, and I will bring an end to the worthless idols of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will put fear on the land of Egypt.
 \v 14 Then I will make Pathros desolate and set fire in Zoan, and I will execute acts of judgment on Thebes.
 
 \s5
@@ -1800,13 +1935,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 The young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and their cities will go into captivity.
-\v 18 In Tahpanhes, the day will hold back its light when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength will be finished. There will be a cloud covering her, and her daughters will walk into captivity.
+\v 18 In Tahpanhes, the day will become dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength will be finished. There will be a cloud covering her, and her daughters will walk into captivity.
 \v 19 I will execute acts of judgment in Egypt, so they will know that I am Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Behold! It has not been bound up, or set to heal with a bandage, so that it will become strong enough to grasp a sword.
+\v 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Behold! It has not been bound up for healing or set with a splint so that it can become strong enough to grasp a sword.
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. For I will break his arm, both the strong one and the broken one, and I will make the sword fall from his hand.
@@ -1826,30 +1961,44 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, giving shade to the forest,
-\q and the tallest in height, and the branches formed its treetop.
+\v 3 Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches,
+\q2 giving shade to the forest,
+\q and the tallest in height, 
+\q2 and the branches formed its treetop.
 \q
-\v 4 Many waters made it tall; the deep waters made it huge. Rivers flowed all around its area,
-\q for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.
+\v 4 Many waters made it tall; 
+\q2 the deep waters made it huge. 
+\q Rivers flowed all around the place where it was planted,
+\q2 for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, and its branches became very many;
-\q its branches grew long because of many waters as they grew.
+\v 5 Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, 
+\q2 and its branches became very many;
+\q its branches grew long 
+\q2 because of many waters as they grew.
 \q
-\v 6 Every bird of the heavens nested in its branches, while every living thing of the field gave birth to its young under its foliage.
-\q All of the many nations lived under its shade.
+\v 6 Every bird of the heavens 
+\q2 nested in its branches, 
+\q while every living thing of the field
+\q2 gave birth to its young under its foliage.
+\q All of the many nations
+\q2 lived under its shade.
 \q
-\v 7 For it was beautiful in its greatness and the length of its branches, for its roots were in many waters.
+\v 7 For it was beautiful in its greatness 
+\q2 and the length of its branches, 
+\q2 for its roots were in many waters.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it.
-\q None among the cypress trees matched its branches, and the plane tree could not equal its boughs.
-\q There was no other tree in the garden of God that was like it in its beauty.
+\q2 None among the cypress trees matched its branches,
+\q2 and the plane tree could not equal its boughs.
+\q There was no other tree in the garden of God
+\q2 that was like it in its beauty.
 \q
 \v 9 I made it beautiful with its many branches
-\q and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.
+\q2 and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1860,9 +2009,7 @@
 \v 12 Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 13 All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree,
-\q and every animal of the field came to its branches.
+\v 13 All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree and every animal of the field came to its branches.
 \p
 \v 14 This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.
 
@@ -1882,112 +2029,112 @@
 \c 32
 \p
 \v 1 Then it happened in the twelfth month of the twelfth year, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 2 "Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him, 'You are like a young lion among the nations,
-\q but you are like a monster in the seas; you churn up the water,
-\q you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters.
+\v 2 "Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him,
+\q 'You are like a young lion among the nations,
+\q2 but you are like a monster in the seas; 
+\q you churn up the water,
+\q2 you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 The Lord Yahweh says this:
-\q So I will spread my net over you in the assembly of many peoples, and they will lift you up in my net.
+\q So I will spread my net over you in the assembly of many peoples, 
+\q2 and they will lift you up in my net.
 \q
-\v 4 I will abandon you in the land. I will throw you into a field
-\q and cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you; the hunger of all living animals on earth will be satisfied by you.
+\v 4 I will abandon you in the land. 
+\q2 I will throw you into a field
+\q and cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you; 
+\q2 the hunger of all living animals on earth will be satisfied by you.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 For I will put your flesh on the mountains, and I will fill the valleys with your worm-filled corpse.
+\v 5 For I will put your flesh on the mountains, 
+\q2 and I will fill the valleys with your worm-filled corpse.
 \q
 \v 6 Then I will pour your blood over the mountains,
-\q and the stream beds will be filled with your blood.
+\q2 and the stream beds will be filled with your blood.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 Then when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;
-\q I will cover the sun with clouds, and the moon will not shine its light.
+\v 7 Then when I extinguish you, 
+\q2 I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;
+\q I will cover the sun with clouds,
+\q2 and the moon will not shine its light.
 \q
-\v 8 All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you,
-\q and I will put darkness over your land—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 8 All the shining lights in the heavens
+\q2 I will darken over you,
+\q2 and I will put darkness over your land—
+\q this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 So I will terrify the heart of many peoples in lands that you do not know, when I bring about your collapse among the nations, among lands that you have not known. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa when I bring about your collapse among the nations \fqa* , some ancient translations and some modern translations have \fqa when I take you into captivity among the nations \fqa* . \f*
-\v 10 I will shock many peoples concerning you; their kings will shudder in horror concerning you when I swing my sword before them. Every moment each one will tremble because of you, on the day of your downfall.
+\p
+\v 9 So I will terrify the heart of many peoples in lands that you do not know, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among lands that you have not known. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa when I bring about your destruction among the nations \fqa* , some ancient translations and some modern translations have \fqa when I take you into captivity among the nations \fqa* . \f*
+\v 10 I will shock many peoples concerning you; their kings will bristle in horror concerning you when I swing my sword before them. Every moment each one will tremble because of you, on the day of your ruin.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 For the Lord Yahweh says this: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.
 \q
-\v 12 I will cause your multitudes to fall by warriors' swords—each warrior a terror of nations.
-\q These warriors will devastate the pride of Egypt and destroy all of its multitudes.
+\v 12 I will cause your multitudes to fall by warriors' swords—
+\q2 each warrior a terror of nations.
+\q These warriors will devastate the pride of Egypt
+\q2 and destroy all of its multitudes.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 For I will destroy all the cattle from beside the plentiful waters;
-\q the foot of man will no longer stir the waters up, neither will the hooves of cattle stir them.
+\q2 the foot of man will no longer stir the waters up, 
+\q2 neither will the hooves of cattle stir them.
 \q
-\v 14 Then I will calm their waters and make their rivers run like oil—
+\v 14 Then I will calm their waters
+\q2 and make their rivers run like oil—
 \q this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 When I make the land of Egypt an abandoned place, when the land is made bare of all its fullness,
-\q when I attack all the inhabitants in her, they will know that I am Yahweh.
-\q
-\v 16 There will be a lament; the daughters of the nations will lament over her; they will lament over Egypt,
-\q over all her multitudes they will lament—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
+\v 15 When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, 
+\q2 when the land is made desolate of all its fullness,
+\q when I attack all the inhabitants in her, 
+\q2 they will know that I am Yahweh.
+\p
+\v 16 There will be a lament;  the daughters of the nations will lament over her; they will lament over Egypt, over all her multitudes they will lament—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 Then it happened in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\q
-\v 18 "Son of man, weep for the multitudes of Egypt and bring them down—
-\q her and the daughters of majestic nations—to the lowest earth with those who have gone down to the pit.
+\v 18 "Son of man, weep for the multitudes of Egypt and bring them down—her and the daughters of majestic nations—to the lowest earth with those who have gone down to the pit.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 'Are you really more beautiful than anyone else? Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.'
-\q
-\v 20 They will fall among those who were killed by the sword. The sword has been drawn! She has been given to the sword; they will seize her and her multitudes.
-\q
-\v 21 The strongest of the warriors in Sheol will declare about Egypt and her allies,
-\q 'They have come down here! They will lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword.'
+\v 19 'Are you really more beautiful than anyone else? 
+\q2 Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.'
+\p
+\v 20 They will fall among those who were killed by the sword. The sword has been drawn! She has been given to the sword;  they will seize her and her multitudes.
+\v 21 The strongest of the warriors in Sheol will declare about Egypt and her allies, 'They have come down here! They will lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword.'
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 22 Assyria is there with all her assembly. Her graves surround her;
-\q all of them were killed by the sword.
-\q
-\v 23 Those whose graves are set in the recesses of the pit are there, with all her assembly.
-\q Her graves surround all of those who were killed, who fell by the sword,
-\q those who brought terror on the land of the living.
+\p
+\v 22 Assyria is there with all her assembly. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed by the sword.
+\v 23 Those whose graves are set in the recesses of the pit are there, with all her assembly. Her graves surround all of those who were killed, who fell by the sword, those who brought terror on the land of the living.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 24 Elam is there with all her multitudes. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed.
-\q Those who fell by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth,
-\q who brought their terrors on the land of the living and who carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.
-\q
-\v 25 They set a bedroll for Elam and all her multitudes in the midst of the slain; her graves surround her.
-\q All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.
-\q So they carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit among all those who have been killed, those who are going down to the pit. Elam is among all those who were killed.
+\p
+\v 24 Elam is there with all her multitudes.  Her graves surround her;  all of them were killed— those who fell by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth, who brought their terrors on the land of the living and who carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.
+\v 25 Among those who were killed, they have made a bed for her, with her multitude all around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living. So they carry their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among those who were killed.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 26 Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitudes are there! Their graves surround them.
-\q All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.
-\q
-\v 27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised who have gone down to Sheol
-\q with all their weapons of war, and with their swords placed under their heads
-\q and their iniquities over their bones. For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living.
+\p
+\v 26 Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitudes are there! Their graves surround them. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.
+\v 27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised who have gone down to Sheol with all their weapons of war, and with their swords placed under their heads and their iniquities over their bones. For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living.
 
 \s5
-\q
 \v 28 So you, Egypt, will be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised! You will lie alongside those who were pierced by the sword.
 \p
 \v 29 Edom is there with her kings and all her leaders. They have been placed in their strength with those killed by the sword. With the uncircumcised they lie, with those who have gone down to the pit.
 
 \s5
-\v 30 The princes of the north are there—all of them and all the Sidonians who went down with the ones who had been pierced. They were powerful and made others to be afraid, but now they lie down there in shame, uncircumcised with those who were pierced by the sword. They carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.
+\p
+\v 30 The princes of the north are there—all of them and all the Sidonians who went down with the ones who had been pierced. They were powerful and terrorized others, but now they lie down there in shame, uncircumcised with those who were pierced by the sword. They carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2005,32 +2152,32 @@
 \s5
 \v 5 If someone hears the sound of the horn and pays no attention, his blood is on him; but if he pays attention, he will save his own life.
 \p
-\v 6 However, if the watchman sees the sword as it is coming, but if he does not blow the horn, with the result that the people are not warned, and if the sword comes and takes anyone's life, then that person dies in his own sin, but I will require his blood from the watchman.'
+\v 6 "However, if the watchman sees the sword as it is coming, but if he does not blow the horn, with the result that the people are not warned, and if the sword comes and takes anyone's life, then that person dies in his own iniquity, but I will require his blood from the watchman.'
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 Now you yourself, son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you will hear the words from my mouth and warn them on my behalf.
-\v 8 If I say to a wicked person, 'Wicked one, you will surely die!' but if you do not announce this so as to warn the wicked about his way, then he who is wicked will die in his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand!
-\v 9 But you, if you warn the wicked about his way, so that he might turn back from it, and if he does not turn back from his way, then he will die in his sin, but you yourself will have saved your own life.
+\v 7 "Now you yourself, son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you will hear the words from my mouth and warn them on my behalf.
+\v 8 If I say to a wicked person, 'Wicked one, you will surely die!' but if you do not announce this so as to warn the wicked about his way, then he who is wicked will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand!
+\v 9 But you, if you warn the wicked about his way, so that he might turn back from it, and if he does not turn back from his way, then he will die in his iniquity, but you yourself will have saved your own life.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 So you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'You are saying this, "Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are decaying in them! How can we live?"'
+\v 10 "So you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'You are saying this, "Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are rotting away in them! How can we live?"'
 \v 11 Say to them, 'As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—I do not delight in the death of the wicked, for if the wicked repents from his way, then he will live! Repent! Repent from your wicked ways! For why should you die, house of Israel?'
 
 \s5
-\v 12 So now you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of a righteous person will not save him if he sins! The wickedness of a wicked person will not cause him to perish if he repents from his sin! For the righteous person will not be able to live because of his righteousness if he sins.
+\v 12 So now you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of a righteous person will not save him if he sins! The wickedness of a wicked person will not cause him to perish if he repents from his wickedness! For the righteous person will not be able to live because of his righteousness if he sins.
 \v 13 If I say to the righteous, "He will surely live!" and if he trusts in his righteousness and then commits injustice, I will not call to mind any of his righteousness. He will die for the wickedness he committed.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 So if I say to the wicked, "You will surely die," but if he then repents from his sins and does what is just and right—
-\v 15 if he restores the loan guarantee that he wickedly demanded, or if he makes restitution for what he has stolen, and if he walks in the statutes that give life and no longer commits sin—then he will surely live. He will not die.
-\v 16 None of the sins that he has committed will be called to mind for him. He has acted justly and rightly, and so, he will surely live!
+\v 15 if he restores the loan guarantee that he wickedly demanded, or if he makes restitution for what he has stolen, and if he walks in the statutes that give life and no longer commits injustice—then he will surely live. He will not die.
+\v 16 None of the sins that he has committed will be called to mind for him. He has done justice and righteousness, and so, he will surely live!
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 But your people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair!" but it is your ways that are not fair!
-\v 18 When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, then he will die in it!
+\v 17 'But your people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair!" but it is your ways that are not fair!
+\v 18 When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, then he will die in it!
 \v 19 When the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and righteous, he will live because of those things!
 \v 20 But you people say, "The way of the Lord is not fair!" I will judge each of you according to his way, house of Israel!'"
 
@@ -2046,7 +2193,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 25 Therefore say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: You eat blood, and you lift up your eyes towards your idols, then you pour out people's blood. Should you really possess the land?
-\v 26 You have depended on your swords and have done disgusting things; each man defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you really possess the land?'
+\v 26 You have depended on your swords and have done abominations; each man defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you really possess the land?'
 
 \s5
 \v 27 You will say this to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, surely the ones in the ruins will fall by the sword, and I will give those in the fields to the living creatures as food, and those in fortresses and in caves will die of plagues.
@@ -2055,7 +2202,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 So now you, son of man—your people are saying things about you beside the walls and the gates of the houses, and each says to one another—each man to his brother, 'Let us go and listen to the prophet's word that comes out from Yahweh!'
+\v 30 "So now you, son of man—your people are saying things about you beside the walls and the gates of the houses, and each says to one another—each man to his brother, 'Let us go and listen to the prophet's word that comes out from Yahweh!'
 \v 31 So my people will come to you, as they often do, and will sit in front of you and listen to your words, but they will not obey them. Right words are in their mouths, but their hearts are going after unjust profit.
 
 \s5
@@ -2067,10 +2214,10 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
 \v 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are shepherding themselves. Should not shepherds guard the flock?
-\v 3 You eat the fatty portions and you dress in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all.
+\v 3 You eat the fatty portions and you clothe yourselves in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 You have not strengthened those who have diseases, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence.
+\v 4 You have not strengthened those who are weak, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence.
 \v 5 Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered.
 \v 6 My flock strays on all of the mountains and on every high hill, and it is dispersed over the entire surface of the earth. Yet no one is searching for them.
 
@@ -2118,7 +2265,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 They will no longer be plunder for the nations, and the wild animals on the earth will no longer devour them. For they will live securely, and no one will frighten them.
-\v 29 For I will provide them a land known for its crops; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the scorn of the nations.
+\v 29 For I will provide them a renowned plantation; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the insults of the nations.
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them. They are my people, the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
@@ -2163,9 +2310,9 @@
 \v 3 Therefore prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Because of your desolation and because of the attacks that came on you from all sides, you have become a possession of the other nations; you have been the subject of slanderous lips and tongues, and of people's stories.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the forsaken cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them—
-\v 5 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my fury against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and disdain in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.'
-\v 6 Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my fury and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations.
+\v 4 Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the abandoned cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them—
+\v 5 therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my zeal against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and contempt in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.'
+\v 6 Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my zeal and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself will lift up my hand to swear that the nations that surround you will certainly carry their own shame.
@@ -2177,18 +2324,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 10 So I will multiply upon you the number of your people, even the whole house of Israel. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
-\v 11 I will multiply men and animals on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will make you prosper more than you did in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh.
+\v 11 I will multiply men and animals on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will do you more good than in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh.
 \v 12 I will bring men, my people Israel, to walk on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer cause their children to die.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The Lord Yahweh says this: Because they are saying to you, "You devour men, bereaving your nation of children,"
 \v 14 therefore you will not consume people any longer, and you will no longer make your nation mourn their deaths. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
-\v 15 Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to bear the shame of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
+\v 15 Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 16 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the unclean menstruation of a woman before me.
+\v 17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the uncleanness of the impurity before me.
 \v 18 So I poured out my fury against them for the blood that they poured out on the land and for their pollution of it by their idols.
 
 \s5
@@ -2203,7 +2350,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land, and I will bring you to your land.
-\v 25 Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be purified from all of your impurities, and I will purify you from all of your idols.
+\v 25 Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be clean; you will be purified from all of your uncleanness, and I will purify you from all of your idols.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost parts, and I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh. For I will give you a heart of flesh.
@@ -2213,7 +2360,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 29 For I will save you from all of your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and multiply it. I will no longer put famine upon you.
 \v 30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will no longer bear the shame of famine among the nations.
-\v 31 Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own sins and your disgusting deeds.
+\v 31 Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own iniquities and your disgusting practicies.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2223,7 +2370,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 35 Then they will say, "This land was desolate, but it has become like the garden of Eden; the desolate cities and the uninhabited ruins that were torn down are now fortified and inhabited."
-\v 36 Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the abandoned places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.
+\v 36 Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the deserted places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2312,7 +2459,7 @@
 \v 12 I will capture booty and steal plunder, in order to bring my hand against the ruins that are newly inhabited, and against the people gathered from the nations, people who are gaining livestock and property, and who are living at the center of the earth.'
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Sheba and Dedan, and the traders of Tarshish along with all its young warriors will say to you, 'Have you come to plunder? Have you assembled your armies to take away spoil, to carry off silver and gold, to take their livestock and property and to haul away much plunder?'
+\v 13 Sheba and Dedan, and the traders of Tarshish along with all its young warriors will say to you, 'Have you come to take booty? Have you assembled your company to take away plunder, to carry off silver and gold, to take their livestock and property and to haul away much plunder?'
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2352,7 +2499,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 The ones living in the cities of Israel will go out and they will use weapons to kindle and make fires and burn them—small shields, large shields, bows, arrows, the clubs and spears; they will make fires with them for seven years.
-\v 10 They will not gather wood from the fields or cut down trees from the forests, since they will burn the weapons; they will take from those who wanted to take from them; they will plunder those who wanted to plunder them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
+\v 10 They will not gather wood from the fields or cut down trees from the forests, since they will kindle fires with the weapons; they will take from those who wanted to take from them; they will plunder those who wanted to plunder them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2360,7 +2507,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 For seven months the house of Israel will bury them in order to purify the land.
-\v 13 For all the people of the land will bury them; it will be a memorable day for them when I am glorified—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 13 For all the people of the land will bury them; it will be a day of renown for them when I am glorified—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Then they will designate men to continually go through the land, to find those who were traveling through, but who died and their bodies remained on the surface of the land, so that they may bury them, in order to cleanse the land. At the end of the seventh month they will begin their search.
@@ -2373,7 +2520,7 @@
 \v 18 You will consume the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth; they will be rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, they were all fattened in Bashan.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Then you will eat fat to your satisfaction; you will drink blood until drunkenness; this will be the sacrifice that I will slaughter for you.
+\v 19 Then you will eat fat to your satisfaction; you will drink blood until you become drunk; this will be the sacrifice that I will slaughter for you.
 \v 20 You will be satisfied at my table with horse, chariot, warrior, and every man of war—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'
 
 \s5
@@ -2388,7 +2535,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Now I will reverse the captivity of Jacob, and I will have compassion on all the house of Israel, when I act with zeal for my holy name.
-\v 26 Then they will bear their shame and all the treason in which they betrayed me. They will forget all this when they rest in their land in safety, with no one to terrify them.
+\v 26 Then they will bear their shame and all the treachery by which they betrayed me. They will forget all this when they rest in their land in safety, with no one to terrify them.
 \v 27 When I restore them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show myself to be holy in the sight of many nations.
 
 \s5
@@ -2493,7 +2640,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 48 Then the man brought me to the portico of the house and measured its doorposts—they were five cubits thick on either side. The entryway itself was fourteen cubits in width, and the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width \fqa* , the copies of the ancient Hebrew text reads \fqa the entrance was three cubits in width \fqa* , but this seems to be a mistake, judging from the preceding words in this verse. \f*
+\v 48 Then the man brought me to the portico of the house and measured its doorposts—they were five cubits thick on either side. The gateway itself was fourteen cubits in width, and the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width \fqa* , the copies of the ancient Hebrew text read \fqa the entrance was three cubits in width \fqa* , but this seems to be a mistake, judging from the preceding words in this verse. \f*
 \v 49 The length of the portico was twenty cubits, and its depth was eleven cubits. There were steps that went up to it and columns that stood on either side of it. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa steps \fqa* , some copies of the ancient Hebrew text, and some modern translations read \fqa ten steps \fqa* . \f* \f + \ft Instead of \fqa eleven cubits \fqa* , some ancient translations of the Hebrew copies and many modern translations read \fqa twelve cubits \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
@@ -2587,7 +2734,7 @@
 \v 19 He also turned and measured the west side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. \f + \ft The ancient Greek translation and most modern translations read \fqa five hundred cubits \fqa* ; but the ancient Hebrew copies read: \fqa five hundred measuring sticks \fqa* , which seems to be an error. \f*
 
 \s5
-\v 20 He measured it on four sides. It had a wall around it that was five hundred cubits in length, and five hundred cubits in width, to separate the holy from that which is common.
+\v 20 He measured it on four sides. It had a wall around it that was five hundred cubits in length, and five hundred cubits in width, to separate the holy from the profane.
 
 \s5
 \c 43
@@ -2603,8 +2750,8 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house.
-\v 7 He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places.
-\v 8 They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my holy name with their disgusting actions, so I consumed them with my anger.
+\v 7 He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer defile my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places.
+\v 8 They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They defiled my holy name with their disgusting practices, so I consumed them with my anger.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.
@@ -2615,7 +2762,7 @@
 \v 11 For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the regulation for the house.
+\v 12 This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the law for the house.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2656,23 +2803,23 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell to my face.
-\v 5 Then Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its regulations. Think about the house's entrance and exits.
+\v 5 Then Yahweh said to me, "Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its laws. Think about the house's entrance and the sanctuary's exits.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting actions be enough for you, house of Israel—
-\v 7 that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting actions.
+\v 6 Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting practices be enough for you, house of Israel—
+\v 7 that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting practices.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place.
 \v 9 The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their sin.
+\v 10 Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their iniquity.
 \v 11 They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people's sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve them.
 \v 12 But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—they will bear their punishment.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 They will not come near me to act as my priests or to approach any of my holy things, the most holy things. Instead, they will bear their reproach and their guilt for the disgusting actions that they have done.
+\v 13 They will not come near me to serve me as priests or to come near any of my holy things, to my most holy things. Instead, they will bear their shame and their disgusting practices that they have done.
 \v 14 But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.
 
 \s5
@@ -2681,8 +2828,8 @@
 \v 16 They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they will have to dress in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house.
-\v 18 There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not dress in clothes that make them sweat.
+\v 17 So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they must be clothed in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house.
+\v 18 There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not gird themselves in clothes that make them sweat.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing.
@@ -2719,11 +2866,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 From this area you will measure a portion that is twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place.
 \v 4 It will be a holy place in the land for the priests who serve Yahweh, who come near Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy area for the holy place.
-\v 5 So it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width, and it will be for towns for the Levites who serve in the house.
+\v 5 So it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width, and it will be for towns that belong to the Levites who serve in the house.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 You will designate an area for the city, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, that will be next to the area reserved for the holy place; this city will belong to all the house of Israel.
-\v 7 The prince's land will be on both sides of the area reserved for the holy place and the city. It will be to their west and to their east. The length will correspond to the length of one of those portions, from the west to the east.
+\v 7 The prince's land will be on both sides of the area reserved for the holy place and the property of the city. It will be to their west and to their east. The length will correspond to the length of one of those portions, from the west to the east.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 This land will be property for the prince in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people; instead, they will give the land to the house of Israel, for their tribes.
@@ -2731,7 +2878,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 The Lord Yahweh says this: It is enough for you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and strife; do justice and righteousness! Quit your evictions of my people!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
-\v 10 You must have accurate scales, accurate ephahs, and accurate baths!
+\v 10 You must have just scales, just ephahs, and just baths!
 \v 11 The ephah and the bath will be the same amount, so that a bath will be a tenth of a homer; the ephah will be a tenth of a homer. Their measure will be corresponding to the homer.
 \v 12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs; sixty shekels will make a mina for you.
 
@@ -2753,7 +2900,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, there will be for you a festival, a seven-day festival. You will eat unleavened bread.
+\v 21 In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, there will be for you the Passover, a seven-day festival. You will eat unleavened bread.
 \v 22 On that day, the prince will prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull as a sin offering.
 
 \s5
@@ -2799,7 +2946,7 @@
 \p
 \v 16 The Lord Yahweh says this: If the prince gives a gift to one of his sons, it is his inheritance. It will also belong to his descendants. It is their property by inheritance.
 \v 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, then it will be that servant's until the year of liberty, and then it will return to the prince. His inheritance will certainly be for his sons.
-\v 18 The prince will not take the people's inheritance away from their own property; he must provide for his sons from his own property so that my people will not be scattered, each man from his own property.'"
+\v 18 The prince will not take the people's inheritance, oppressing them by taking their own property; he must provide for his sons from his own property so that my people will not be scattered, each man from his own property.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2845,7 +2992,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 This will be the boundary of the land on the north side from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text reads: \fqa by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad \fqa* , but some modern translations follow Ezekiel 48:1 at this point, and add \fqa Lebo Hamath \fqa* . \f*
+\v 15 This will be the boundary of the land on the north side from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text read: \fqa by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad \fqa* , but some modern translations follow Ezekiel 48:1 at this point, and add \fqa Lebo Hamath \fqa* . \f*
 \v 16 Then the boundary will go to Berothah, to Sibraim, which is between Damascus and Hamath, and then to Hazer Hattikon, which is beside the boundary of Hauran.
 \v 17 So the boundary will go from the sea to Hazar Enan on the border with Damascus and Hamath to the north. This will be the north side.
 
@@ -2878,7 +3025,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 8 The offering of land that you will make will be along the border with Judah and extend from the east side to the west side; it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in width. Its length will correspond to one tribe's portion from the east side to the west side, and the temple will be in the middle of it.
+\v 8 The offering of land that you will make will be along the border with Judah and extend from the east side to the west side; it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in width. Its length will correspond to one tribe's portion from the east side to the west side, and the sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
 \v 9 This land that you will offer up to Yahweh will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width.
 
 \s5

27-DAN.usfm

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 The king spoke to Ashpenaz, his chief official, to bring in some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility—
-\v 4 young men without blemish, attractive in appearance, having insight in all wisdom, filled with knowledge and understanding, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the literature and language of the educated men.
+\v 4 young men without blemish, attractive in appearance, having insight in all wisdom, filled with knowledge and understanding, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
 \v 5 The king counted out for them a daily portion of his delicacies and some of the wine that he drank. These young men were to be trained for three years, and after that, they would serve the king.
 
 \s5
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 This made the king angry and very furious, and he gave an order to destroy all the wise men in Babylon.
-\v 13 So the decree went out that all the wise men were to be slain. Because of this decree, they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
+\v 13 So the decree went out to put the wise men to death, and they sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -90,27 +90,25 @@
 \v 19 That night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
 \v 20 and Daniel said,
 \q "Praise the name of God forever and ever,
-\q for wisdom and power belong to him.
+\q2 for wisdom and power belong to him.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 21 He changes the times
-\q and seasons;
-\q he removes kings
-\q and places kings on their thrones.
+\v 21 He changes the times and seasons;
+\q2 he removes kings and places kings on their thrones.
 \q He gives wisdom to wise men
-\q and knowledge to those who have understanding.
+\q2 and knowledge to those who have understanding.
 \q
 \v 22 He reveals the deep and hidden things
-\q because he knows what is in the darkness,
-\q and the light lives with him.
+\q2 because he knows what is in the darkness,
+\q2 and the light lives with him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you
-\q for the wisdom and power you gave to me.
+\q2 for the wisdom and power you gave to me.
 \q Now you have made known to me what we asked of you;
-\q you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king."
+\q2 you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -242,9 +240,9 @@
 \v 2 It has seemed good to me to tell you about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
 \q
 \v 3 How great are his signs,
-\q and how mighty are his wonders!
+\q2 and how mighty are his wonders!
 \q His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
-\q and his dominion lasts from generation to generation."
+\q2 and his dominion lasts from generation to generation."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -302,7 +300,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 31 While the words were still on the lips of the king, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, it is announced to you that this kingdom has been taken away from you.
-\v 32 You will be driven away from people, and your home will be with the animals in the field. You will be made to eat grass likez cattle. Seven years will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and he gives them to anyone he wishes."
+\v 32 You will be driven away from people, and your home will be with the animals in the field. You will be made to eat grass like cattle. Seven years will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of people and he gives them to anyone he wishes."
 
 \s5
 \v 33 This decree against Nebuchadnezzar was carried out immediately. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was wet with the dew from the heavens. His hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails became like birds' claws.
@@ -311,16 +309,19 @@
 \p
 \v 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was given back to me.
 \q "I praised the Most High,
-\q and I honored and glorified the one who lives forever.
+\q2 and I honored and glorified the one who lives forever.
 \q For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
-\q and his kingdom endures from all generations to all generations.
+\q2 and his kingdom endures from all generations to all generations.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 35 All the earth's inhabitants are considered by him to be as nothing;
-\q he does among the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth
-\q whatever suits his will.
-\q No one can stop him or challenge him. No one can say to him, 'Why have you done this?'"
+\v 35 All the earth's inhabitants
+\q2 are considered by him to be as nothing;
+\q he does among the army of heaven
+\q2 and the inhabitants of the earth
+\q2 whatever suits his will.
+\q No one can stop him or challenge him.
+\q2 No one can say to him, 'Why have you done this?'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -423,7 +424,7 @@
 \v 11 Then these men who had formed the plot together saw Daniel make requests and seek favor from God.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Then they approached the king and spoke with him about his prohibition: "Did you not make a prohibition that everyone who makes a petition to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, king, must be throw into the den of lions?" The king answered, "The matter is settled, as directed by the law of the Medes and Persians; it cannot be repealed."
+\v 12 Then they approached the king and spoke with him about his prohibition: "Did you not make a prohibition that everyone who makes a petition to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, king, must be thrown into the den of lions?" The king answered, "The matter is settled, as directed by the law of the Medes and Persians; it cannot be repealed."
 
 \s5
 \v 13 Then they replied to the king, "That person Daniel, who is one of the people of the exile from Judah, pays no attention to you, king, or to the prohibition that you have signed. He prays to his God three times a day."
@@ -461,14 +462,17 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 I hereby make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
-\q for he is the living God and lives forever,
+
+\q for he is the living God
+\q2 and lives forever,
 \q and his kingdom will not be destroyed;
-\q his dominion will last to the end.
+\q2 his dominion will last to the end.
 \q
 \v 27 He makes us safe and rescues us,
-\q and he does signs and wonders
-\q in heaven and in earth;
-\q he has kept Daniel safe from the strength of the lions."
+\q2 and he does signs and wonders
+\q2 in heaven and in earth;
+\q he has kept Daniel safe
+\q2 from the strength of the lions."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -496,18 +500,20 @@
 \p
 \v 9 As I looked,
 \q thrones were set in place,
-\q and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
+\q2 and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
 \q His clothing was as white as snow,
-\q and the hair of his head was like pure wool.
+\q2 and the hair of his head was like pure wool.
 \q His throne was flames of fire,
-\q and its wheels were burning fire.
+\q2 and its wheels were burning fire.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 A river of fire flowed out from before him;
+\q
+\v 10 A river of fire
+\q2 flowed out from before him;
 \q millions served him,
-\q and one hundred million were standing before him.
+\q2 and one hundred million were standing before him.
 \q The court was in session,
-\q and the books were opened.
+\q2 and the books were opened.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -518,13 +524,13 @@
 \p
 \v 13 In my visions that night,
 \q I saw one coming with the clouds of heaven like a son of man;
-\q he came to the Ancient of Days
-\q and was presented before him.
+\q2 he came to the Ancient of Days
+\q2 and was presented before him.
 \q
 \v 14 Authority to rule and glory and royal power were given to him
-\q so that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
+\q2 so that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
 \q His authority to rule is an everlasting authority that will not pass away,
-\q and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
+\q2 and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -547,35 +553,37 @@
 \p
 \v 23 This is what that person said, 'As for the fourth animal,
 \q it will be a fourth kingdom on earth
-\q that will be different from all the other kingdoms.
+\q2 that will be different from all the other kingdoms.
 \q It will devour the whole earth,
-\q and it will trample it down
-\q and break it into pieces.
+\q2 and it will trample it down
+\q2 and break it into pieces.
 \q
 \v 24 As for the ten horns,
-\q out of this kingdom ten kings will arise,
-\q and another will arise after them.
+\q2 out of this kingdom ten kings will arise,
+\q2 and another will arise after them.
 \q He will be different from the previous ones,
-\q and he will subdue the three kings.
+\q2 and he will subdue the three kings.
 
 \s5
+\q
 \v 25 He will speak words against the Most High
-\q and will oppress the holy people of the Most High God.
+\q2 and will oppress the holy people of the Most High God.
 \q He will try to change the festivals and the law.
-\q These things will be given into his hand
-\q for one year, two years, and half a year.
+\q2 These things will be given into his hand
+\q2 for one year, two years, and half a year.
 \q
 \v 26 But the court will be in session,
-\q and they will take his royal power away
-\q to be consumed and destroyed at the end.
+\q2 and they will take his royal power away
+\q2 to be consumed and destroyed at the end.
 
 \s5
+\q 
 \v 27 The kingdom and the dominion,
-\q and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
+\q2 and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
 \q will be given to the people
-\q who belong to the holy people of the Most High.
+\q2 who belong to the holy people of the Most High.
 \q His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
-\q and all other kingdoms will serve and obey him.'
+\q2 and all other kingdoms will serve and obey him.'
 \p
 \v 28 Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my face changed in appearance. But I kept these things to myself."
 
@@ -642,8 +650,8 @@
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
-\v 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus \f + \ft Also known as \fqa Xerxes \fqa* . \f* —a descendant of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
-\v 2 in the first year of Darius's reign, I, Daniel, was studying the books containing Yahweh's word, the word that had come to Jeremiah the prophet. I observed that there would be seventy years until Jerusalem's desolations would end.
+\v 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus \f + \ft Also known as \fqa Ahasuerus \fqa* . \f* —a descendant of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
+\v 2 in the first year of Darius' reign, I, Daniel, was studying the books containing Yahweh's word, the word that had come to Jeremiah the prophet. I observed that there would be seventy years until Jerusalem's desolations would end.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -779,7 +787,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 The king of the North will come, pour out earth for siege mounds, and capture a city with fortifications. The forces of the South will not be able to stand, not even their best soldiers. There will be no strength to stand.
-\v 16 Instead, the one who comes will act according to his desires against him; no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the Beautiful Land, and destruction will be in his hand.
+\v 16 The one who comes against him will do as he desires, and no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the Beautiful Land, and destruction will be in his hand.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 The king of the North will set his face to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and with him will be an agreement that he will make with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter of women in marriage to ruin the kingdom of the South. But the plan will not succeed or help him.
@@ -807,7 +815,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 29 At the appointed time he will return and come against the South again. But this time it will not be as before.
-\v 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will become afraid. He will return and be furious against the holy covenant, and he will take action. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
+\v 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will become afraid. He will return and be furious against the holy covenant, and he will take action. He will return and show favor to those who abandon the holy covenant.
 
 \s5
 \v 31 His forces will rise up and profane the fortress sanctuary. They will put an end to the regular burnt offering, and they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.
@@ -824,7 +832,7 @@
 \v 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, not even the god desired by women, nor will he regard any other god, but will exalt himself above them all.
 
 \s5
-\v 38 He will honor the god of fortresses instead of these. It is a god whom his fathers did not acknowledge that he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and other precious things.
+\v 38 He will honor the god of fortresses instead of these. It is a god whom his fathers did not know that he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and other precious things.
 \v 39 He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. To anyone who acknowledges him, he will give much honor. He will make them rulers over many people, and he will divide up the land as a reward. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa He will attack the strongest fortresses \fqa* , some modern translations have \fqa He will defend his fortress \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5

28-HOS.usfm

@@ -9,67 +9,74 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.
+\v 1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah,
+Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam
+son of Joash, king of Israel.
+\p
 \v 2 When Yahweh spoke at first through Hosea, he said to him,
 \q "Go, take for yourself a wife who is a prostitute.
-\q She will have children who are the result of her prostitution.
+\q2 She will have children who are the result of her prostitution.
 \q For the land is committing great prostitution
-\q by forsaking Yahweh."
+\q2 by abandoning Yahweh."
 
 \s5
-\v 3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
+\p
+\v 3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim,
+and she conceived and bore him a son.  
 \v 4 Yahweh said to Hosea,
 \q "Call his name Jezreel.
-\q For in a little while
+\q2 For in a little while
 \q I will punish the house of Jehu
-\q for the bloodshed at Jezreel,
+\q2 for the bloodshed at Jezreel,
 \q and I will put an end
-\q to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
+\q2 to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
 \q
 \v 5 It will happen on the day
-\q that I break the bow of Israel
+\q2 that I break the bow of Israel
 \q in the Valley of Jezreel."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 6 Gomer conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Yahweh said to Hosea,
 \q "Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,
-\q for I will no longer have mercy
-\q on the house of Israel,
+\q2 for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,
 \q that I should forgive them at all.
-\q
+\q2
 \v 7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah,
 \q and I will save them by myself, Yahweh their God.
-\q I will not save them
+\q2 I will not save them
 \q by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 8 Now after Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore another son.
+\q
 \v 9 Then Yahweh said,
-\q "Call his name Lo-Ammi,
+\q2 "Call his name Lo-Ammi,
 \q for you are not my people,
-\q and I am not your God.
+\q2 and I am not your God.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Yet the number of the people of Israel
-\q will be like the sand of the seashore,
+\q2 will be like the sand of the seashore,
 \q which cannot be measured or counted.
-\q It will be that where it was said to them,
+\q2 It will be that where it was said to them,
 \q 'You are not my people,'
-\q it will be said to them,
+\q2 it will be said to them,
 \q 'You are people of the living God.'
-\q
+\q2
 \v 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel
-\q2 will be gathered together.
-\q They will appoint one leader for themselves,
+\q will be gathered together.
+\q2 They will appoint one leader for themselves,
 \q and they will go up from the land,
-\q for great will be the day of Jezreel.
+\q2 for great will be the day of Jezreel.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \q
 \v 1 Say to your brothers, 'My people!'
-\q and to your sisters, 'You have been shown compassion.'"
+\q2 and to your sisters, 'You have been shown compassion.'"
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -77,468 +84,532 @@
 \q2 for she is not my wife,
 \q2 and neither am I her husband.
 \q Let her put away her prostitution from before herself,
-\q and her acts of adultery from between her breasts.
+\q2 and her acts of adultery from between her breasts.
 \q
 \v 3 If not, I will strip her naked
-\q and show her nakedness as on the day that she was born.
+\q2 and show her nakedness as on the day that she was born.
 \q I will make her like the wilderness,
-\q like a parched land,
-\q and I will make her die from thirst.
+\q2 like a parched land,
+\q2 and I will make her die from thirst.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 I will not have any mercy on her children,
-\q for they are children of prostitution.
+\q2 for they are children of prostitution.
 \q
 \v 5 For their mother has been a prostitute,
-\q and she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
+\q2 and she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
 \q She said, "I will go after my lovers,
-\q for they give me my bread and water,
+\q2 for they give me my bread and water,
 \q my wool and flax,
-\q my oil and drink."
+\q2 my oil and drink."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Therefore I will build up a hedge to block her way with thorns.
-\q I will build up a wall against her
-\q so she cannot find her way.
+\q2 I will build up a wall against her
+\q2 so she cannot find her way.
 \q
 \v 7 She will pursue her lovers,
-\q but she will not overtake them.
+\q2 but she will not overtake them.
 \q She will seek them,
-\q but she will not find them.
+\q2 but she will not find them.
 \q Then she will say,
-\q "I will return to my first husband,
-\q for it was better for me then than it is now."
+\q2 "I will return to my first husband,
+\q2 for it was better for me then than it is now."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 For she had not known that it was I who gave her
-\q the grain, the new wine and the oil,
+\q2 the grain, the new wine and the oil,
 \q and who lavished on her silver and gold,
-\q which they then used for Baal.
+\q2 which they then used for Baal.
+\b
+
 \q
 \v 9 So I will take back her grain at harvest time,
-\q and my new wine in its season.
+\q2 and my new wine in its season.
 \q I will take back my wool and flax
-\q that were used to cover her nakedness.
+\q2 that were used to cover her nakedness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Then I will strip her naked in the sight of her lovers,
-\q and no one will rescue her out of my hand.
+\q2 and no one will rescue her out of my hand.
 \q
 \v 11 I will stop all her rejoicing—
-\q her feasts, her new moon celebrations, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals.
+\q2 her feasts, her new moon celebrations,
+\q2 her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 "I will destroy her vines and her fig trees,
-\q of which she has said,
+\q2 of which she has said,
 \q 'These are the wages that my lovers gave me.'
-\q I will make them a forest,
-\q and the animals of the field will eat them.
+\q2 I will make them a forest,
+\q2 and the animals of the field will eat them.
 \q
 \v 13 I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals,
-\q when she burned incense to them,
+\q2 when she burned incense to them,
 \q when she adorned herself with her rings and jewelry,
-\q and she went after her lovers and forgot me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\q2 and she went after her lovers and forgot me—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 So I am going to allure her. I will bring her into the wilderness
-\q and speak tenderly to her.
+\v 14 So I am going to allure her.
+\q2 I will bring her into the wilderness
+\q2 and speak tenderly to her.
 \q
 \v 15 I will give her back her vineyards,
-\q and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.
+\q2 and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope.
 \q She will answer me there as she did in the days of her youth,
-\q as in the days that she came out of the land of Egypt.
+\q2 as in the days that she came out of the land of Egypt.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 "It will be in that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\v 16 "It will be in that day—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
 \q that you will call me, 'My husband,'
-\q and you will no longer call me, 'My Baal.'
+\q2 and you will no longer call me, 'My Baal.'
 \q
 \v 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth;
-\q their names will not be remembered anymore.
+\q2 their names will not be remembered anymore.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 On that day I will make a covenant for them
-\q with the beasts in the fields,
-\q with the birds in the sky,
-\q and with the crawling things on the ground.
-\q I will drive away the bow, the sword, and the battle from the land,
-\q and I will make you lie down in safety.
+\q2 with the beasts in the fields, with the birds in the sky,
+\q2 and with the crawling things on the ground.
+\q I will drive away the bow, the sword,
+\q2 and the battle from the land,
+\q2 and I will make you lie down in safety.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 I will promise to be your husband forever.
-\q I will promise to be your husband in righteousness, justice, covenant faithfulness, and mercy.
+\q2 I will promise to be your husband in righteousness, justice,
+\q2 covenant faithfulness, and mercy.
 \q
 \v 20 I will pledge myself to you in faithfulness,
-\q and you will know Yahweh.
+\q2 and you will know Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 On that day,
-\q I will answer—this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\q2 I will answer—this is Yahweh's declaration—
 \q I will answer the heavens,
-\q and they will answer the earth.
+\q2 and they will answer the earth.
 \q
-\v 22 The earth will answer the grain, the new wine and the oil,
-\q and they will answer Jezreel.
+\v 22 The earth will answer the grain,
+\q2 the new wine and the oil,
+\q2 and they will answer Jezreel.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 I will plant her for myself in the land,
-\q and I will have mercy on Lo-Ruhamah.
+\q2 and I will have mercy on Lo-Ruhamah.
 \q I will say to Lo-Ammi, 'You are my people,'
-\q and they will say to me, 'You are my God.'"
+\q2 and they will say to me, 'You are my God.'"
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 Yahweh said to me, "Go again, love a woman, loved by her husband, but who is an adulteress. Love her just as I, Yahweh, love the people of Israel, although they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
+\v 1 Yahweh said to me, "Go again, love a woman, loved by her husband,
+but who is an adulteress. Love her just as I, Yahweh, love the people of Israel,
+although they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
+\p
 \v 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley.
-\v 3 I said to her, "You must live with me many days. You will not be a prostitute or belong to any other man. In the same way, I will be with you."
+\v 3 I said to her, "You must live with me many days. You will not be a prostitute
+or belong to any other man. In the same way, I will be with you."
 
 \s5
-\v 4 For the people of Israel will live for many days without a king, prince, sacrifice, stone pillar, ephod or household idols.
-\v 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king, and in the last days, they will come trembling before Yahweh and his goodness.
+\p
+\v 4 For the people of Israel will live for many days without a king, prince,
+sacrifice, stone pillar, ephod or household idols.
+\v 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David their king,
+and in the last days, they will come trembling before Yahweh and his goodness.
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 Hear the word of Yahweh, you people of Israel.
-\q Yahweh has a lawsuit against the inhabitants of the land,
-\q because there is no truthfulness or covenant faithfulness, no knowledge of God in the land.
+\v 1 Hear the word of Yahweh,
+\q2 you people of Israel.
+\q Yahweh has a lawsuit
+\q2 against the inhabitants of the land,
+\q because there is no truthfulness or covenant faithfulness,
+\q2 no knowledge of God in the land.
 \q
-\v 2 There is cursing, deception, killing, stealing and adultery.
-\q The people have broken all bounds, and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.
+\v 2 There is cursing, deception, killing,
+\q2 stealing and adultery.
+\q The people have broken all bounds,
+\q2 and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 So the land mourns,
-\q and everyone living in it is wasting away;
+\q2 and everyone living in it is wasting away;
 \q the beasts in the fields and the birds in the sky,
-\q even the fish in the sea, are being taken away.
+\q2 even the fish in the sea, are being taken away.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
 \v 4 But do not allow anyone to bring a lawsuit;
-\q do not let anyone accuse anyone else.
-\q For it is you, the priests, whom I am accusing.
+\q2 do not let anyone accuse anyone else.
+\q2 For it is you, the priests, whom I am accusing.
 \q
 \v 5 You priests will stumble during the day;
-\q the prophets will also stumble with you by night,
-\q and I will destroy your mother.
+\q2 the prophets will also stumble with you by night,
+\q2 and I will destroy your mother.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 My people are being destroyed because of the lack of knowledge.
+\v 6 My people are being destroyed
+\q2 because of the lack of knowledge.
 \q Because you priests have rejected knowledge,
-\q I will also reject you as priests to me.
-\q Because you have forgotten my law, although I am your God,
-\q I also will forget your children.
+\q2 I will also reject you as priests to me.
+\q Because you have forgotten my law,
+\q2 although I am your God,
+\q2 I also will forget your children.
+\b
+
 \q
 \v 7 The more the priests multiplied,
-\q the more they sinned against me.
-\q They exchanged their honor for shame.
+\q2 the more they sinned against me.
+\q2 They exchanged their honor for shame.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 They feed on the sin of my people;
-\q they are greedy for more of their iniquity.
+\q2 they are greedy for more of their iniquity.
 \q
 \v 9 It will be the same for the people as for the priests:
-\q I will punish them all for their practices;
-\q I will repay them for their deeds.
+\q2 I will punish them all for their practices;
+\q2 I will repay them for their deeds.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 They will eat but not have enough;
-\q they will commit prostitution but not increase,
-\q because they stopped listening to Yahweh.
+\q2 they will commit prostitution but not increase,
+\q2 because they stopped listening to Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 They love sexual promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which have taken away their understanding.
+\v 11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine
+\q2 take away understanding.
 \q
 \v 12 My people consult their wooden idols,
-\q and their walking sticks give them prophecies.
-\q For a mind of promiscuity has misled them,
-\q and they have acted as prostitutes instead of being faithful to their God.
+\q2 and their walking sticks give them prophecies.
+\q A spirit of prostitution has led them astray,
+\q2 and they have acted as prostitutes
+\q2 instead of being faithful to their God.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
-\q and burn incense on the hills,
+\q2 and burn incense on the hills,
 \q under oaks, poplars and terebinths,
-\q because the shade is good.
+\q2 because the shade is good.
 \q So your daughters commit sexual immorality,
-\q and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
+\q2 and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
+
 \q
-\v 14 I will not punish your daughters when they choose to commit sexual immorality,
-\q nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.
+\v 14 I will not punish your daughters
+\q2 when they choose to commit sexual immorality,
+\q nor your daughters-in-law
+\q2 when they commit adultery.
 \q For the men also go apart with prostitutes,
-\q and they offer sacrifices so they can commit immoral acts with sacred prostitutes.
-\q So this people who does not understand will be thrown down.
+\q2 and they offer sacrifices
+\q2 so they can commit immoral acts with sacred prostitutes.
+\q So this people who does not understand
+\q2 will be thrown down.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 Though you, Israel, have committed adultery,
-\q may Judah not become guilty.
+\q2 may Judah not become guilty.
 \q Do not go to Gilgal, you people;
-\q do not go up to Beth Aven,
-\q and do not swear, saying, "As Yahweh lives."
+\q2 do not go up to Beth Aven,
+\q2 and do not swear, saying, "As Yahweh lives."
+
 \q
-\v 16 For Israel has behaved stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer.
-\q How can Yahweh bring them to pasture like lambs in a meadow?
+\v 16 For Israel has behaved stubbornly,
+\q2 like a stubborn heifer.
+\q How can Yahweh bring them to pasture
+\q2 like lambs in a meadow?
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 Ephraim united himself with idols;
-\q leave him alone.
+\q2 leave him alone.
 \q
 \v 18 Even when their strong drink is gone,
-\q they continue to commit adultery;
-\q her rulers dearly love their shame.
+\q2 they continue to commit adultery;
+\q2 her rulers dearly love their shame.
 \q
 \v 19 The wind will wrap her up in its wings;
-\q and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
+\q2 and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 "Hear this, priests!
-\q Pay attention, house of Israel!
+\q2 Pay attention, house of Israel!
 \q Listen, house of the king!
-\q For judgment is coming against you all.
+\q2 For judgment is coming against you all.
 \q You have been a snare at Mizpah
-\q and a net spread over Tabor.
+\q2 and a net spread over Tabor.
 \q
 \v 2 The rebels stand deep in slaughter,
-\q but I will punish all of them. \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa The rebels have dug a deep pit \fqa* , \fqa The rebels have dug deep at Shittim \fqa* , or, continuing on from the previous verse, \fqa a pit dug deep at Shittim \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 but I will punish all of them. \f + \ft Some modern translations have \fqa The rebels have dug a deep pit \fqa* , \fqa The rebels have dug deep at Shittim \fqa* , or, continuing on from the previous verse, \fqa a pit dug deep at Shittim \fqa* . \f*
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 I know Ephraim,
-\q and Israel is not hidden from me.
+\q2 and Israel is not hidden from me.
 \q Ephraim, now you have become like a prostitute;
-\q Israel is defiled.
+\q2 Israel is defiled.
+
 \q
-\v 4 Their deeds will not allow them to turn to God,
+\v 4 Their deeds will not allow them
+\q2 to turn to God,
 \q for the mind of prostitution is in them,
-\q and they do not know Yahweh.
+\q2 and they do not know Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 The pride of Israel testifies against him;
-\q so Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their guilt;
-\q and Judah also will stumble with them.
+\q2 so Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their guilt;
+\q2 and Judah also will stumble with them.
+
 \q
-\v 6 They will go with their flocks and herds to seek Yahweh,
+\v 6 They will go with their flocks
+\q2 and herds to seek Yahweh,
 \q but they will not find him,
-\q for he has withdrawn himself from them.
+\q2 for he has withdrawn himself from them.
 \q
 \v 7 They were unfaithful to Yahweh,
-\q for they have borne illegitimate children.
-\q Now the new moon festivals will devour them with their fields.
+\q2 for they have borne illegitimate children.
+\q Now the new moon festivals
+\q2 will devour them with their fields.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah,
-\q and the trumpet in Ramah.
+\q2 and the trumpet in Ramah.
 \q Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven:
-\q 'We will follow you, Benjamin!'
+\q2 'We will follow you, Benjamin!'
 \q
-\v 9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of rebuke.
-\q Among the tribes of Israel I have declared what is certain to happen.
+\v 9 Ephraim will become a desolation
+\q2 on the day of rebuke.
+\q Among the tribes of Israel
+\q2 I have declared what is certain to happen.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 The leaders of Judah are like those who move a boundary stone.
-\q I will pour my wrath on them like water.
+\v 10 The leaders of Judah
+\q2 are like those who move a boundary stone.
+\q2 I will pour my wrath on them like water.
 \q
 \v 11 Ephraim is oppressed;
-\q he is crushed in judgment,
-\q because he has willingly walked after idols.
+\q2 he is crushed in judgment,
+\q2 because he has willingly walked after idols.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 So I will be like a moth to Ephraim,
-\q and like rot to the house of Judah.
+\q2 and like rot to the house of Judah.
+
 \q
 \v 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
-\q and Judah saw his wound,
+\q2 and Judah saw his wound,
 \q then Ephraim went to Assyria,
-\q and Judah sent messengers to the great king.
+\q2 and Judah sent messengers to the great king.
 \q But he was not able to cure you people
-\q or heal your wound.
+\q2 or heal your wound.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 So I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
-\q and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
+\q2 and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
 \q I, even I, will tear them apart and go away;
-\q I will carry them off,
-\q and there will be no one to rescue them.
+\q2 I will carry them off,
+\q2 and there will be no one to rescue them.
 \q
 \v 15 I will go and return to my place,
-\q until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
-\q until they earnestly seek me in their distress."
+\q2 until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
+\q2 until they earnestly seek me in their distress."
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 "Come, let us return to Yahweh.
-\q For he has torn us apart, but he will heal us;
-\q he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.
+\q2 For he has torn us apart, but he will heal us;
+\q2 he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.
 \q
 \v 2 After two days he will revive us;
-\q he will raise us up on the third day,
-\q and we will live before him.
+\q2 he will raise us up on the third day,
+\q2 and we will live before him.
 \q
 \v 3 Let us know Yahweh;
-\q let us press on to know Yahweh.
+\q2 let us press on to know Yahweh.
 \q His coming out is as sure as the dawn;
-\q he will come to us like the showers,
-\q like the spring rains that water the land."
+\q2 he will come to us like the showers,
+\q2 like the spring rains that water the land."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Ephraim, what will I do with you?
-\q Judah, what will I do with you?
+\q2 Judah, what will I do with you?
 \q Your love is like a morning cloud,
-\q like the dew that goes away early.
+\q2 like the dew that goes away early.
 \q
 \v 5 So I have cut them to pieces by the prophets;
-\q I have killed them with the words of my mouth.
-\q Your judgments are like the light that shines out.
+\q2 I have killed them with the words of my mouth.
+\q2 Your judgments are like the light that shines out.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 For I delight in covenant faithfulness and not sacrifice,
-\q and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
+\q2 and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
 \q
 \v 7 Like Adam they have broken the covenant;
-\q they were unfaithful to me.
+\q2 they were unfaithful to me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Gilead is a city of those who do evil,
-\q with footprints of blood.
+\q2 with footprints of blood.
 \q
 \v 9 As gangs of robbers wait for someone,
-\q so the priests band together to commit murder on the way to Shechem;
-\q they have committed shameful crimes.
+\q2 so the priests band together
+\q2 to commit murder on the way to Shechem;
+\q2 they have committed shameful crimes.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
-\q Ephraim's prostitution is there, and Israel has become unclean.
+\q2 Ephraim's prostitution is there,
+\q2 and Israel has become unclean.
 \q
 \v 11 For you also, Judah, a harvest has been appointed,
-\q when I will reverse the captivity of my people.
+\q2 when I will reverse the captivity of my people.
 
 \s5
 \c 7
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Whenever I want to heal Israel,
-\q the iniquity of Ephraim is exposed,
-\q as well as the evil deeds of Samaria,
+\q2 the iniquity of Ephraim is exposed,
+\q2 as well as the evil deeds of Samaria,
 \q for they practice deceit;
-\q a thief comes in,
-\q and a marauding band attacks in the street.
+\q2 a thief comes in,
+\q2 and a marauding band attacks in the street.
 \q
 \v 2 They do not realize in their hearts
-\q that I remember all their evil deeds.
+\q2 that I remember all their evil deeds.
 \q Now their deeds surround them;
-\q they are before my face.
+\q2 they are before my face.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 With their evil they make the king glad,
-\q and by their lies the officials.
+\q2 and by their lies the officials.
 \q
 \v 4 They are all adulterers,
-\q like an oven heated by the baker,
-\q who ceases to stir the fire
-\q from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
+\q2 like an oven heated by the baker,
+\q2 who ceases to stir the fire
+\q from the kneading of the dough
+\q2  until it is leavened.
 \q
-\v 5 On the day of our king the officials made themselves sick with the heat of wine.
-\q He reached out with his hand to those who were mocking.
+\v 5 On the day of our king
+\q2 the officials made themselves sick 
+\q2 with the heat of wine.
+\q He reached out with his hand
+\q2 to those who were mocking.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 For with hearts like an oven,
-\q they devise their deceitful plans.
+\q2 they devise their deceitful plans.
 \q Their anger smolders all night;
-\q in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.
+\q2 in the morning it burns high like a flaming fire.
 \q
 \v 7 They all are as hot as an oven,
-\q and they devour those who rule over them.
+\q2 and they devour those who rule over them.
 \q All their kings have fallen;
-\q none of them calls on me.
+\q2 none of them calls on me.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Ephraim mixes himself among the peoples.
-\q Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
+\q2 Ephraim is a flat cake that has not been turned over.
 \q
 \v 9 Foreigners have devoured his strength,
-\q but he does not know it.
+\q2 but he does not know it.
 \q Gray hairs are sprinkled on him,
-\q but he does not know it.
+\q2 but he does not know it.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 The pride of Israel testifies against him;
-\q however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God,
-\q nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.
+\q2 however, they have not returned to Yahweh their God,
+\q2 nor have they sought him, in spite of all this.
 \q
-\v 11 Ephraim is like a dove, gullible and without sense,
+\v 11 Ephraim is like a dove,
+\q2 gullible and without sense,
 \q calling out to Egypt,
-\q then flying to Assyria.
+\q2 then flying to Assyria.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 When they go, I will spread my net over them;
-\q I will bring them down like the birds of the sky.
+\v 12 When they go,
+\q2 I will spread my net over them;
+\q I will bring them down
+\q2 like the birds of the sky.
 \q I will punish them
-\q in their flocking together.
+\q2 in their flocking together.
 \q
 \v 13 Woe to them!
-\q For they have strayed from me.
+\q2 For they have strayed from me.
 \q Devastation is coming to them!
-\q They have rebelled against me!
+\q2 They have rebelled against me!
 \q I would have rescued them,
-\q but they spoke lies against me.
+\q2 but they spoke lies against me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 They have not cried to me with all their heart,
-\q but they wail on their beds.
+\q2 but they wail on their beds.
 \q They gather together for grain and new wine,
-\q and they turn away from me. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa They gather together \fqa* , which the copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, some ancient translations of the copies of the Hebrew text, and many modern translations have \fqa They cut themselves \fqa* , an allusion to the pagan custom of idol worshipers wounding themselves in the frenzy of prayer. \f*
+\q2 and they turn away from me. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa They gather together \fqa* , which the copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, some ancient translations of the copies of the Hebrew text, and many modern translations have \fqa They cut themselves \fqa* , an allusion to the pagan custom of idol worshipers wounding themselves in the frenzy of prayer. \f*
 \q
 \v 15 Though I trained them and strengthened their arms,
-\q they are now plotting evil against me.
+\q2 they are now plotting evil against me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 They return,
-\q but they do not return to me, the Most High.
+\q2 but they do not return to me, the Most High.
 \q They are like a slack bow.
-\q Their officials will fall by the sword
-\q because of the insolence of their tongues.
-\q This will become their mockery in the land of Egypt.
+\q2 Their officials will fall by the sword
+\q2 because of the insolence of their tongues.
+\q This will become their mockery
+\q2 in the land of Egypt.
 
 \s5
 \c 8
@@ -546,185 +617,209 @@
 \q
 \v 1 "Place a ram's horn at your lips!
 \q An eagle is coming over the house of Yahweh
-\q because the people have broken my covenant
-\q and rebelled against my law.
+\q2 because the people have broken my covenant
+\q2 and rebelled against my law.
 \q
 \v 2 They cry out to me,
-\q 'My God, we in Israel know you.'
+\q2 'My God, we in Israel know you.'
 \q
 \v 3 But Israel has rejected what is good,
-\q and the enemy will pursue him.
+\q2 and the enemy will pursue him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 They have set up kings,
-\q but not by me.
+\q2 but not by me.
 \q They have made princes,
-\q but without my knowledge.
+\q2 but without my knowledge.
 \q With their silver and gold
-\q they have made idols for themselves,
-\q but it was only so they might be cut off."
+\q2 they have made idols for themselves,
+\q2 but it was only so they might be cut off."
+\b
 \q
 \v 5 "Your calf has been rejected, Samaria.
-\q My anger is burning against these people.
-\q For how long will they be incapable of innocence?
+\q2 My anger is burning against these people.
+\q2 For how long will they be incapable of innocence?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 For this idol came from Israel;
-\q a workman made it;
-\q it is not God!
-\q The calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.
+\q2 a workman made it;
+\q2 it is not God!
+\q The calf of Samaria
+\q2 will be broken to pieces.
 \q
 \v 7 For the people sow the wind
-\q and reap the whirlwind.
+\q2 and reap the whirlwind.
 \q The standing grain has no heads;
-\q it yields no flour.
+\q2 it yields no flour.
 \q If it does come to maturity,
-\q foreigners will devour it.
+\q2 foreigners will devour it.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Israel is swallowed up;
-\q now they lie among the nations like a useless pot.
+\q2 now they lie among the nations
+\q2 like a useless pot.
 \q
 \v 9 For they went up to Assyria
-\q like a wild donkey all alone.
-\q Ephraim has hired lovers for herself.
+\q2 like a wild donkey all alone.
+\q Ephraim has hired
+\q2 lovers for herself.
 \q
 \v 10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations,
-\q I will now gather them together.
+\q2 I will now gather them together.
 \q They will begin to waste away
-\q because of the burden of the king of princes.
+\q2 because of the burden of the king of princes.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 For Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin offerings,
-\q but they have become altars for committing sins instead.
+\q2 but they have become altars for committing sins.
 \q
 \v 12 I could write down my law for them ten thousand times,
-\q but they would view it as something strange to them.
+\q2 but they would view it as something strange to them.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 As for the sacrifices of my offerings,
-\q they sacrifice meat and eat it,
-\q but I, Yahweh, do not accept them.
+\q2 they sacrifice meat and eat it,
+\q2 but I, Yahweh, do not accept them.
 \q Now I will think about their iniquity
-\q and punish their sins.
-\q They will return to Egypt.
+\q2 and punish their sins.
+\q2 They will return to Egypt.
+
 \q
 \v 14 Israel has forgotten me, his Maker,
-\q and has built palaces.
+\q2 and has built palaces.
 \q Judah has fortified many cities,
-\q but I will send fire on his cities;
-\q it will destroy his fortresses.
+\q2 but I will send fire on his cities;
+\q2 it will destroy his fortresses.
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Do not rejoice, Israel,
-\q with joy like the other peoples.
+\q2 with joy like the other peoples.
 \q For you have been unfaithful,
-\q forsaking your God.
+\q2 abandoning your God.
 \q You love to pay the wages a prostitute requires
-\q on all the floors for threshing grain.
+\q2 on all the floors for threshing grain.
 \q
-\v 2 But the threshing floor and the winepress will not feed them;
-\q the new wine will fail them.
+\v 2 But the threshing floor and the winepress
+\q2 will not feed them;
+\q2 the new wine will fail them.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 They will not continue to live in Yahweh's land;
-\q instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,
-\q and one day they will eat unclean food in Assyria.
+\q2 instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,
+\q2 and one day they will eat unclean food in Assyria.
 \q
 \v 4 They will pour out no wine offerings to Yahweh,
-\q neither will they be pleasing to him.
+\q2 neither will they be pleasing to him.
 \q Their sacrifices will be to them like mourners' food:
-\q all who eat it will be defiled.
+\q2 all who eat it will be defiled.
 \q For their food will be for themselves only;
-\q it will not come into the house of Yahweh.
+\q2 it will not come into the house of Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 What will you do on the day of an appointed festival,
-\q on the day of a festival for Yahweh?
+\q2 on the day of a festival for Yahweh?
 \q
 \v 6 For, look, if they escape from destruction,
-\q Egypt will gather them,
-\q and Memphis will bury them.
+\q2 Egypt will gather them,
+\q2 and Memphis will bury them.
 \q As for their precious things of silver—
-\q sharp briers will possess them,
-\q and thorns will fill their tents.
+\q2 sharp briers will possess them,
+\q2 and thorns will fill their tents.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 The days for punishment are coming;
-\q the days for retribution are coming.
-\q Let all Israel know these things.
+\q2 the days for retribution are coming.
+\q2 Let all Israel know these things.
 \q The prophet is a fool,
-\q and the inspired man is insane,
+\q2 and the inspired man is insane,
 \q because of your abundant iniquity
-\q and great hostility.
+\q2 and great hostility.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 The prophet is the watchman for my God over Ephraim.
+\v 8 The prophet is the watchman
+\q2 for my God over Ephraim.
 \q But a bird snare is on all of his paths,
-\q and hostility toward him is in the house of his God.
+\q2 and hostility toward him is in the house of his God.
 \q
 \v 9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
-\q as in the days of Gibeah.
+\q2 as in the days of Gibeah.
 \q God will call to mind their iniquity,
-\q and he will punish their sins.
+\q2 and he will punish their sins.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Yahweh says, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.
-\q Like the very first fruit of the season on the fig tree, I found your fathers.
+\v 10 Yahweh says, "When I found Israel, 
+\q2 it was like finding grapes in the wilderness.
+\q Like the very first fruit of the season on the fig tree,
+\q2 I found your fathers.
 \q But they went to Baal Peor,
-\q and they devoted themselves to that shameful idol.
-\q They became as detestable as the idol they loved.
+\q2 and they devoted themselves to that shameful idol.
+\q They became as detestable
+\q2 as the idol they loved.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird.
-\q There will be no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
+\v 11 As for Ephraim,
+\q2 their glory will fly away like a bird.
+\q There will be no birth,
+\q2 no pregnancy, and no conception.
 \q
 \v 12 Though they have brought up children,
-\q I will bereave all of them.
-\q Woe to them when I turn away from them!
+\q2 I will bereave all of them.
+\q Woe to them
+\q2 when I turn away from them!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 I have seen Ephraim, just like Tyre, planted in a meadow,
-\q but Ephraim will bring out his children to someone who will slaughter them."
+\v 13 I have seen Ephraim, just like Tyre,
+\q2 planted in a meadow,
+\q but Ephraim will bring out his children
+\q2 to someone who will slaughter them."
+\b
 \q
-\v 14 Give them, Yahweh—what will you give them?
-\q Give them a miscarrying womb and breasts that give no milk.
+\v 14 Give them, Yahweh—
+\q2 what will you give them?
+\q Give them a miscarrying womb
+\q2 and breasts that give no milk.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 "Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,
-\q that is where I began to hate them.
+\q2 that is where I began to hate them.
 \q Because of their sinful deeds,
-\q I will drive them out of my house.
+\q2 I will drive them out of my house.
 \q I will love them no more;
-\q all their officials are rebels.
+\q2 all their officials are rebels.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Ephraim is diseased,
-\q and their root is dried up;
-\q they bear no fruit.
+\q2 and their root is dried up;
+\q2 they bear no fruit.
 \q Even if they have children,
-\q I will put the precious ones of their womb to death."
+\q2 I will put the precious ones of their womb to death."
+\b
 \q
 \v 17 My God will reject them
-\q because they have not obeyed him.
-\q They will become wanderers among the nations.
+\q2 because they have not obeyed him.
+\q They will become wanderers
+\q2 among the nations.
 
 \s5
 \c 10
@@ -732,384 +827,435 @@
 \q
 \v 1 Israel is a luxuriant vine that produces his fruit.
 \q As his fruit increased,
-\q the more altars he built.
+\q2 the more altars he built.
 \q As his land produced more,
-\q he improved his pillars.
+\q2 he improved his pillars.
 \q
 \v 2 Their heart is deceitful;
-\q now they must bear their guilt.
+\q2 now they must bear their guilt.
 \q Yahweh will demolish their altars;
-\q he will destroy their pillars.
+\q2 he will destroy their pillars.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 For then they will say,
-\q "We have no king,
-\q for we did not fear Yahweh,
-\q and a king—what could he do for us?"
+\q2 "We have no king,
+\q2 for we did not fear Yahweh,
+\q and a king—
+\q2 what could he do for us?"
 \q
 \v 4 They speak empty words
-\q and make covenants by swearing falsely.
+\q2 and make covenants by swearing falsely.
 \q So justice springs up
-\q like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
+\q2 like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 The inhabitants of Samaria will be afraid
-\q because of the calves of Beth Aven.
+\q2 because of the calves of Beth Aven.
 \q Its people mourned over them,
-\q as did those idolatrous priests who had rejoiced over them
-\q and their splendor,
-\q but they are no longer there.
+\q2 as did those idolatrous priests
+\q2 who had rejoiced over them and their splendor,
+\q2 but they are no longer there.
 \q
 \v 6 They will be carried to Assyria
-\q as tribute for the great king.
+\q2 as tribute for the great king.
 \q Ephraim will be disgraced,
-\q and Israel will be ashamed of its idol.
+\q2 and Israel will be ashamed of its idol.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 Samaria's king
-\q will be destroyed,
-\q like a chip of wood on the surface of the water.
+\q2 will be destroyed,
+\q like a chip of wood
+\q2 on the surface of the water.
 \q
-\v 8 The high places of wickedness will be destroyed.
-\q This is the sin of Israel!
+\v 8 The high places of wickedness
+\q2 will be destroyed.
+\q2 This is the sin of Israel!
 \q Thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.
-\q The people will say to the mountains, "Cover us!"
-\q and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
+\q2 The people will say to the mountains, "Cover us!"
+\q2 and to the hills, "Fall on us!"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 "Israel,
-\q you have sinned since the days of Gibeah;
-\q there you have remained.
-\q Will not war overtake the sons of wrong in Gibeah?
+\v 9 "Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah;
+\q2 there you have remained.
+\q Will not war overtake
+\q2 the sons of wrong in Gibeah?
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 When I desire it, I will discipline them.
+\v 10 When I desire it,
+\q2 I will discipline them.
 \q The peoples will gather together against them
-\q and put them in bonds for their double iniquity.
+\q2 and put them in bonds for their double iniquity.
 \q
-\v 11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh the grain,
-\q so I will put a yoke on her fair neck.
+\v 11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
+\q2 that loves to thresh the grain,
+\q2 so I will put a yoke on her fair neck.
 \q I will put a yoke on Ephraim;
-\q Judah will plow;
-\q Jacob will pull the harrow by himself.
+\q2 Judah will plow;
+\q2 Jacob will pull the harrow by himself.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
-\q and reap the fruit of covenant faithfulness.
+\q2 and reap the fruit of covenant faithfulness.
 \q Break up your unplowed ground,
-\q for it is time to seek Yahweh,
-\q until he comes and rains righteousness on you.
+\q2 for it is time to seek Yahweh,
+\q2 until he comes and rains righteousness on you.
 \q
 \v 13 You have plowed wickedness;
-\q you reaped injustice.
+\q2 you reaped injustice.
 \q You have eaten the fruit of deception
-\q because you trusted in your plans
-\q and in your many soldiers.
+\q2 because you trusted in your plans
+\q2 and in your many soldiers.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 So a tumult of war will rise among your people,
-\q and all your fortified cities will be destroyed.
-\q It will be as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel on a day of battle,
-\q when mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.
+\v 14 So a tumult of war
+\q2 will rise among your people,
+\q2 and all your fortified cities will be destroyed.
+\q It will be as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel
+\q2 on a day of battle,
+\q when mothers were dashed to pieces
+\q2 with their children.
 \q
 \v 15 So it will happen to you, Bethel,
-\q because of your great wickedness.
-\q At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off."
+\q2 because of your great wickedness.
+\q At dawn the king of Israel
+\q2 will be completely cut off."
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 "When Israel was a young man I loved him,
-\q and I called my son out of Egypt.
+\q2 and I called my son out of Egypt.
 \q
 \v 2 The more they were called,
-\q the more they went away from me.
+\q2 the more they went away from me.
 \q They sacrificed to the Baals
-\q and burned incense to idols. \f + \ft Some ancient translations of the Hebrew text and most modern translations have \fqa they went away from me \fqa* . The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa they went away from them \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 and burned incense to idols. \f + \ft Some ancient translations of the Hebrew text and most modern translations have \fqa they went away from me \fqa* . The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa they went away from them \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
-\q It was I who lifted them up by their arms,
-\q but they did not know that I healed them.
+\q2 It was I who lifted them up by their arms,
+\q2 but they did not know that I healed them.
 \q
 \v 4 I led them with cords of humanity,
-\q with bands of love.
+\q2 with bands of love.
 \q I was to them like someone who eased the yoke on their jaws,
-\q and I bent down to them and fed them.
+\q2 and I bent down to them and fed them.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Will they not return to the land of Egypt?
-\q Will Assyria not rule over them
-\q because they refuse to return to me?
+\q2 Will Assyria not rule over them
+\q2 because they refuse to return to me?
 \q
 \v 6 The sword will fall on their cities
-\q and destroy the bars of their gates;
+\q2 and destroy the bars of their gates;
 \q it will destroy them
-\q because of their own plans.
+\q2 because of their own plans.
 \q
-\v 7 My people are determined to turn away from me.
+\v 7 My people are determined
+\q2 to turn away from me.
 \q Though they call to the Most High,
-\q no one will help them.
+\q2 no one will help them.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
-\q How can I hand you over, Israel?
+\q2 How can I hand you over, Israel?
 \q How can I make you like Admah?
-\q How can I make you like Zeboyim?
+\q2 How can I make you like Zeboyim?
 \q My heart has changed within me;
-\q all my compassions have been stirred up.
+\q2 all my compassions have been stirred up.
 \q
 \v 9 I will not execute my fierce anger;
-\q I will not again destroy Ephraim.
+\q2 I will not again destroy Ephraim.
 \q For I am God
-\q and not a man;
+\q2 and not a man;
 \q I am the Holy One among you,
-\q and I will not come in wrath.
+\q2 and I will not come in wrath.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 They will follow Yahweh;
-\q and he will roar like a lion.
+\q2 and he will roar like a lion.
 \q When he roars,
-\q his children will come trembling from the west.
+\q2 his children will come trembling from the west.
 \q
-\v 11 They will come trembling like a bird from Egypt,
-\q like a dove from the land of Assyria.
-\q I will make them live in their homes—this is the declaration of Yahweh.
+\v 11 They will come trembling
+\q2 like a bird from Egypt,
+\q2 like a dove from the land of Assyria.
+\q I will make them live in their homes—
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood,
-\q and the house of Israel with deceit.
+\q2 and the house of Israel with deceit.
 \q But Judah is still going about with God
-\q and is faithful to the Holy One."
+\q2 and is faithful to the Holy One."
 
 \s5
 \c 12
 \q
 \v 1 Ephraim feeds on the wind
-\q and follows after the east wind.
-\q He continually multiplies lies and violence.
+\q2 and follows after the east wind.
+\q2 He continually multiplies lies and violence.
 \q They make a covenant with Assyria
-\q and carry olive oil to Egypt.
+\q2 and carry olive oil to Egypt.
 \q
 \v 2 Yahweh also has a lawsuit against Judah
-\q and will punish Jacob for what he has done;
-\q he will repay him for his deeds.
+\q2 and will punish Jacob for what he has done;
+\q2 he will repay him for his deeds.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel,
-\q and in his manhood he struggled with God.
+\q2 and in his manhood he struggled with God.
 \q
 \v 4 He struggled with the angel and won.
-\q He wept and begged for his favor.
+\q2 He wept and begged for his favor.
 \q He met God at Bethel;
-\q there God spoke with him.
+\q2 there God spoke with him.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 This is Yahweh, the God of hosts;
-\q "Yahweh" is his name to be called on.
+\q2 "Yahweh" is his name to be called on.
 \q
 \v 6 So turn to your God.
-\q Keep covenant faithfulness and justice,
-\q and wait continually for your God.
+\q2 Keep covenant faithfulness and justice,
+\q2 and wait continually for your God.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 The merchants have deceitful scales in their hands;
-\q they love to defraud.
+\q2 they love to defraud.
 \q
-\v 8 Ephraim said, "I have certainly become very rich;
-\q I have found wealth for myself.
-\q In all my labors they will not find any iniquity in me,
-\q anything that would be sin."
+\v 8 Ephraim said,
+\q2 "I have certainly become very rich;
+\q2 I have found wealth for myself.
+\q In all my labors
+\q2 they will not find any iniquity in me,
+\q2 anything that would be sin."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 "I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt.
+\v 9 "I am Yahweh your God
+\q2 from the land of Egypt.
 \q I will again make you live in tents,
-\q as in the days of the appointed festival.
+\q2 as in the days of the appointed festival.
 \q
 \v 10 I spoke to the prophets,
-\q and I gave them many visions for you.
-\q By the hand of the prophets I gave parables."
+\q2 and I gave them many visions for you.
+\q By the hand of the prophets
+\q2 I gave parables."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 If there is wickedness in Gilead,
-\q surely the people are worthless.
+\q2 surely the people are worthless.
 \q In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
-\q their altars will be like heaps of stone in the furrows of the fields.
+\q2 their altars will be like heaps of stone
+\q2 in the furrows of the fields.
 \q
 \v 12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
-\q Israel labored in order to get a wife;
-\q and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.
+\q2 Israel labored in order to get a wife;
+\q2 and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet,
-\q and by a prophet he took care of them.
+\q2 and by a prophet he took care of them.
 \q
 \v 14 Ephraim has bitterly angered Yahweh.
-\q So his Lord will leave his blood on him
-\q and will turn back on him his disgrace.
+\q2 So his Lord will leave his blood on him
+\q2 and will turn back on him his disgrace.
 
 \s5
 \c 13
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 "When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling.
+\v 1 "When Ephraim spoke,
+\q2 there was trembling.
 \q He exalted himself in Israel,
-\q but he became guilty because of Baal worship, and he died.
-\q
+\q2 but he became guilty
+\q2 because of Baal worship, and he died.
+\q2
 \v 2 Now they sin more and more.
 \q They make cast metal figures from their silver,
-\q idols as skillfully worked as possible,
-\q all of them the work of the craftsmen.
+\q2 idols as skillfully worked as possible,
+\q2 all of them the work of the craftsmen.
 \q People say of them,
-\q 'These men who sacrifice kiss calves.'
+\q2 'These men who sacrifice kiss calves.'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 So they will be like the morning clouds,
-\q like the dew that goes away early,
-\q like the chaff that is driven by the wind away from a threshing floor,
-\q and like smoke out of a chimney.
+\q2 like the dew that goes away early,
+\q like the chaff that is driven by the wind
+\q2 away from a threshing floor,
+\q2 and like smoke out of a chimney.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 But I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt.
+\v 4 But I am Yahweh your God
+\q2 from the land of Egypt.
 \q You must acknowledge no God but me;
-\q you must acknowledge that besides me, there is no other Savior.
+\q2 you must acknowledge that besides me,
+\q2 there is no other Savior.
 \q
 \v 5 I knew you in the wilderness,
-\q in the land of great dryness.
+\q2 in the land of great dryness.
 \q
-\v 6 When you had pasture, then you became full;
-\q and when you were filled, your heart became lifted up.
-\q For that reason you forgot me.
+\v 6 When you had pasture,
+\q2 then you became full;
+\q and when you were filled,
+\q2 your heart became lifted up.
+\q2 For that reason you forgot me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 I will become like a lion to them;
-\q like a leopard I will watch along the path.
+\q2 like a leopard I will watch along the path.
 \q
-\v 8 I will attack them as a bear that is robbed of her cubs.
+\v 8 I will attack them as a bear
+\q2 that is robbed of her cubs.
 \q I will rip open their chests,
-\q and there I will devour them as a lion,
-\q as a wild beast would tear them to pieces.
+\q2 and there I will devour them as a lion,
+\q2 as a wild beast would tear them to pieces.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 I will destroy you, Israel;
-\q who will be able to help you?
+\q2 who will be able to help you?
 \q
 \v 10 Where now is your king,
-\q that he may save you in all your cities?
-\q Where are your rulers, about whom you said to me,
-\q 'Give me a king and princes'?
+\q2 that he may save you in all your cities?
+\q Where are your rulers,
+\q2 about whom you said to me,
+\q2 'Give me a king and princes'?
 \q
 \v 11 I gave you a king in my anger,
-\q and I took him away in my wrath.
+\q2 and I took him away in my wrath.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Ephraim's iniquity has been bound up;
-\q his sin has been stored up.
+\q2 his sin has been stored up.
 \q
 \v 13 Pains of childbirth will come on him,
-\q but he is not a wise son,
-\q for when it is time to be born, he does not come out of the womb.
+\q2 but he is not a wise son,
+\q for when it is time to be born,
+\q2 he does not come out of the womb.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 Will I rescue them from the hand of Sheol?
-\q Will I rescue them from death?
+\q2 Will I rescue them from death?
 \q Where, death, are your plagues?
-\q Where, Sheol, is your destruction?
-\q Compassion is hidden from my eyes."
+\q2 Where, Sheol, is your destruction?
+\q2 Compassion is hidden from my eyes."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 Though Ephraim is prosperous among his brothers,
-\q an east wind will come;
-\q the wind of Yahweh will blow in from the wilderness.
+\q2 an east wind will come;
+\q the wind of Yahweh
+\q2 will blow in from the wilderness.
 \q Ephraim's spring will dry up,
-\q and his well will have no water.
-\q His enemy will plunder his storehouse of every precious object.
+\q2 and his well will have no water.
+\q His enemy will plunder his storehouse
+\q2 of every precious object.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Samaria will be guilty,
-\q for she has rebelled against her God.
+\q2 for she has rebelled against her God.
 \q They will fall by the sword;
-\q their young children will be dashed to pieces,
-\q and their pregnant women will be ripped open.
+\q2 their young children will be dashed to pieces,
+\q2 and their pregnant women will be ripped open.
 
 \s5
 \c 14
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God,
-\q for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
+\q2 for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
 \q
-\v 2 Take with you words and return to Yahweh.
+\v 2 Take with you words
+\q2 and return to Yahweh.
 \q Say to him, "Take away all our iniquity
-\q and accept what is good,
-\q so that we may offer to you the fruit of our lips. \f + \ft The phrase \fqa so that we may offer to you the fruit of our lips \fqa* represents the interpretation of some ancient translations of the Hebrew text. The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa so that we may offer bulls, our lips \fqa* . Some modern translations interpret this to mean, \fqa so that we may offer to you bulls, which we have promised to do \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 and accept what is good,
+\q so that we may offer to you
+\q2 the fruit of our lips. \f + \ft The phrase \fqa so that we may offer to you the fruit of our lips \fqa* represents the interpretation of some ancient translations of the Hebrew text. The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa so that we may offer bulls, our lips \fqa* . Some modern translations interpret this to mean, \fqa so that we may offer to you bulls, which we have promised to do \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Assyria will not save us;
-\q we will not ride on horses to war.
-\q Neither will we say anymore to the work of our hands,
-\q 'You are our gods,'
-\q for in you the orphan finds compassion."
+\q2 we will not ride on horses to war.
+\q Neither will we say anymore
+\q2 to the work of our hands,
+\q2 'You are our gods,'
+\q2 for in you the orphan finds compassion."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 "I will heal their turning away;
-\q I will love them freely,
-\q for my anger has turned away from him.
+\v 4 "I will heal their apostasy;
+\q2 I will love them freely,
+\q2 for my anger has turned away from him.
 \q
 \v 5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
-\q he will blossom like the lily
-\q and take root like a cedar in Lebanon.
+\q2 he will blossom like the lily
+\q2 and take root like a cedar in Lebanon.
 \q
 \v 6 His branches will spread out;
-\q his beauty will be like the olive trees,
-\q and his fragrance like the cedars in Lebanon.
+\q2 his beauty will be like the olive trees,
+\q2 and his fragrance like the cedars in Lebanon.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 The people who live in his shade will return;
-\q they will revive like grain
-\q and blossom like vines.
-\q His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
+\q2 they will revive like grain
+\q2 and blossom like vines.
+\q His fame will be like
+\q2 the wine of Lebanon.
+
 \q
 \v 8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?
-\q I will answer him and care for him.
-\q I am like a cypress whose leaves are always green;
-\q from me comes your fruit."
+\q2 I will answer him and care for him.
+\q I am like a cypress
+\q2 whose leaves are always green;
+\q2 from me comes your fruit."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 Who is wise that he may understand these things?
-\q Who understands these things so that he may know them?
+\v 9 Who is wise
+\q2 that he may understand these things?
+\q Who understands these things
+\q2 so that he may know them?
 \q For the ways of Yahweh are right,
-\q and the righteous will walk in them,
-\q but the rebellious will stumble in them.
+\q2 and the righteous will walk in them,
+\q2 but the rebellious will stumble in them.
 

29-JOL.usfm

@@ -12,416 +12,474 @@
 \v 1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
 \q
 \v 2 Hear this, you elders,
-\q and listen, all you inhabitants of the land.
+\q2 and listen, all you inhabitants of the land.
 \q Has anything like this happened in your days
-\q or in the days of your ancestors?
+\q2 or in the days of your ancestors?
 \q
 \v 3 Tell your children about it,
-\q and let your children tell their children,
-\q and their children the next generation.
+\q2 and let your children tell their children,
+\q2 and their children the next generation.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten;
-\q what the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten;
-\q and what the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.
+\v 4 What the swarming locust has left, 
+\q2 the great locust has eaten;
+\q what the great locust has left,
+\q2 the grasshopper has eaten;
+\q and what the grasshopper has left,
+\q2 the caterpillar has eaten.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
-\q Wail, all you drinkers of wine,
-\q because the sweet wine has been cut off from you.
+\q2 Wail, all you drinkers of wine,
+\q2 because the sweet wine has been cut off from you.
 \q
 \v 6 For a nation has come up upon my land,
-\q mighty and without number.
+\q2 mighty and without number.
 \q His teeth are the teeth of a lion,
-\q and he has the teeth of a lioness.
+\q2 and he has the teeth of a lioness.
 \q
 \v 7 He has made my vineyard into a desolate place
-\q and has stripped my fig tree bare.
-\q He has stripped its bark and thrown it away;
-\q the branches are bare white.
+\q2 and has stripped my fig tree bare.
+\q He has stripped its bark
+\q2 and thrown it away;
+\q2 the branches are bare white.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Mourn like a virgin girded in sackcloth for the death of her young bridegroom.
+\v 8 Mourn like a virgin girded in sackcloth
+\q2 for the death of her young bridegroom.
 \q
-\v 9 The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of Yahweh.
-\q The priests, Yahweh's servants, mourn.
+\v 9 The grain offering and the drink offering
+\q2 have been cut off from the house of Yahweh.
+\q2 The priests, Yahweh's servants, mourn.
 \q
 \v 10 The fields are ruined;
-\q the ground is mourning because the grain has been destroyed.
+\q2 the ground is mourning
+\q2 because the grain has been destroyed.
 \q The new wine has dried up;
-\q the oil fails.
+\q2 the oil fails.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Be ashamed, you farmers,
-\q and wail, you vine growers,
+\q2 and wail, you vine growers,
 \q for the wheat and the barley.
-\q For the harvest of the fields has perished.
+\q2 For the harvest of the fields has perished.
 \q
-\v 12 The vines have withered and the fig trees have dried up;
+\v 12 The vines have withered
+\q2 and the fig trees have dried up;
 \q the pomegranate trees, also the palm trees, and the apple trees—
-\q all the trees of the field have withered.
-\q For joy has withered away from the descendants of mankind.
+\q2 all the trees of the field have withered.
+\q For joy has withered away
+\q2 from the descendants of mankind.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn, you priests!
-\q Wail, you servants of the altar.
-\q Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you servants of my God.
-\q For the grain offering and the drink offering have been withheld from the house of your God.
+\q2 Wail, you servants of the altar.
+\q Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
+\q2 you servants of my God.
+\q For the grain offering and the drink offering
+\q2 have been withheld from the house of your God.
 \q
 \v 14 Call for a holy fast,
-\q and call a holy assembly.
-\q Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
+\q2 and call a holy assembly.
+\q Gather the elders
+\q2 and all the inhabitants of the land
 \q to the house of Yahweh your God,
-\q and cry to Yahweh.
+\q2 and cry to Yahweh.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 Alas for the day!
-\q For the day of Yahweh is almost here.
-\q With it will come destruction from the Almighty.
+\q2 For the day of Yahweh is almost here.
+\q2 With it will come destruction from the Almighty.
 \q
-\v 16 Has not food been cut off from before our eyes,
-\q and joy and gladness from the house of our God?
+\v 16 Has not food been cut off
+\q2 from before our eyes,
+\q and joy and gladness
+\q2 from the house of our God?
+\b
 \q
 \v 17 The seeds rot under their clods,
-\q the storehouses are desolate,
-\q and the barns have been torn down,
-\q for the grain has withered.
+\q2 the storehouses are desolate,
+\q2 and the barns have been torn down,
+\q2 for the grain has withered.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 How the cattle groan!
-\q Their herds are wandering in confusion because they have no pasture.
+\q2 Their herds are wandering in confusion
+\q2 because they have no pasture.
 \q Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
+\b
+
 \q
 \v 19 Yahweh, I cry to you.
-\q For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
-\q and flames have burned all the trees of the fields.
+\q2 For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
+\q2 and flames have burned all the trees of the fields.
 \q
 \v 20 Even the animals of the fields pant for you,
-\q for the water brooks have dried up,
-\q and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
+\q2 for the water brooks have dried up,
+\q2 and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Blow the ram's horn in Zion,
-\q and sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
+\q2 and sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
 \q Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble in fear,
-\q for the day of Yahweh is coming;
-\q indeed, it is near.
+\q2 for the day of Yahweh is coming;
+\q2 indeed, it is near.
 \q
 \v 2 It is a day of darkness and gloom,
-\q a day of clouds and thick darkness.
+\q2 a day of clouds and thick darkness.
 \q Like the dawn that spreads on the mountains,
-\q a large and mighty army is approaching.
+\q2 a large and mighty army is approaching.
 \q There has never been an army like it,
-\q and there never will be again,
-\q even after many generations.
+\q2 and there never will be again,
+\q2 even after many generations.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 A fire is consuming everything in front of it,
-\q and behind it a flame is burning.
+\q2 and behind it a flame is burning.
 \q The land is like the garden of Eden in front of it,
-\q but behind it there is a ruined wilderness.
-\q Indeed, nothing will escape from it.
+\q2 but behind it there is a ruined wilderness.
+\q2 Indeed, nothing will escape from it.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 The army's appearance is like horses,
-\q and they run like horsemen.
+\q2 and they run like horsemen.
 \q
-\v 5 They jump with a noise like that of chariots on the tops of the mountains,
+\v 5 They jump with a noise like that of chariots
+\q2 on the tops of the mountains,
 \q like the sound of fiery flames that devour the stubble,
-\q like a mighty army ready for battle.
+\q2 like a mighty army ready for battle.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 At their presence people are in anguish
-\q and all their faces become pale.
+\q2 and all their faces become pale.
 \q
 \v 7 They run like mighty warriors;
-\q they climb the walls like soldiers;
+\q2 they climb the walls like soldiers;
 \q they march, every one in step,
-\q and do not break their ranks.
+\q2 and do not break their ranks.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Neither does one thrust another aside;
-\q they march, each in his path;
+\q2 they march, each in his path;
 \q they break through the defenses
-\q and do not fall out of line.
+\q2 and do not fall out of line.
 \q
 \v 9 They rush on the city,
-\q they run on the wall,
+\q2 they run on the wall,
 \q they climb in the houses,
-\q and they go through the windows like thieves.
+\q2 and they go through the windows like thieves.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 The earth shakes in front of them,
-\q the heavens tremble,
+\q2 the heavens tremble,
 \q the sun and the moon are darkened,
-\q and the stars stop shining.
+\q2 and the stars stop shining.
 \q
-\v 11 Yahweh raises his voice in front of his army,
+\v 11 Yahweh raises his voice
+\q2 in front of his army,
 \q for his warriors are very numerous;
-\q for they are strong, those who carry out his commands.
-\q For the day of Yahweh is great and very terrible.
+\q2 for they are strong,
+\q2 those who carry out his commands.
+\q For the day of Yahweh is great
+\q2 and very terrible.
 \q Who can endure it?
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 "Yet even now"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q "Return to me with all your heart.
-\q Fast, weep, and mourn."
+\q2 "Return to me with all your heart.
+\q2 Fast, weep, and mourn."
 \q
-\v 13 Tear your heart and not only your garments,
+\v 13 Tear your heart
+\q2 and not only your garments,
 \q and return to Yahweh your God.
-\q For he is gracious and merciful,
+\q2 For he is gracious and merciful,
 \q slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
-\q and relenting from inflicting punishment.
+\q2 and relenting from inflicting punishment.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 Who knows? Will he perhaps turn and relent,
-\q and leave a blessing behind him,
-\q a grain offering and a drink offering for Yahweh your God?
+\q2 and leave a blessing behind him,
+\q a grain offering and a drink offering
+\q2 for Yahweh your God?
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 Blow the ram's horn in Zion,
-\q call for a holy fast,
-\q and call a holy assembly.
+\q2 call for a holy fast,
+\q2 and call a holy assembly.
 \q
 \v 16 Gather the people;
-\q call for the holy assembly.
+\q2 call for the holy assembly.
 \q Assemble the elders;
-\q gather the children
-\q and the nursing infants.
+\q2 gather the children
+\q2 and the nursing infants.
 \q Let the bridegrooms come out of their rooms,
-\q and the brides out of their bridal chambers.
+\q2 and the brides out of their bridal chambers.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 Let the priests, the servants of Yahweh,
-\q weep between the porch and the altar.
+\q2 weep between the porch and the altar.
 \q Let them say, "Spare your people, Yahweh,
-\q and do not make your inheritance into an object of scorn,
-\q that the nations mock them.
+\q2 and do not make your inheritance into an object of scorn,
+\q2 that the nations mock them.
 \q Why should they say among the nations,
-\q 'Where is their God?'"
+\q2 'Where is their God?'"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 Then Yahweh was zealous for his land
-\q and had pity on his people.
+\q2 and had pity on his people.
 \q
 \v 19 Yahweh answered his people,
 \q "Look, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil.
-\q You will be satisfied with them,
-\q and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.
+\q2 You will be satisfied with them,
+\q and I will no longer make you
+\q2 a disgrace among the nations.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 20 I will remove the northern attackers far from you,
-\q and will drive them into a dry and desolate land.
+\q2 and will drive them into a dry and desolate land.
 \q The front of their army will go into the eastern sea,
-\q and the rear into the western sea.
+\q2 and the rear into the western sea.
 \q Its stench will rise,
-\q and its bad smell will rise."
-\q2 Indeed, he has done great things.
+\q2 and its bad smell will rise."
+\b
+\q Indeed, he has done great things.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q2
 \v 21 Do not fear, land; be glad and rejoice,
-\q for Yahweh will do great things.
+\q2 for Yahweh will do great things.
 \q
 \v 22 Do not fear, you wild animals!
-\q For the pastures of the wilderness will sprout,
+\q2 For the pastures of the wilderness will sprout,
 \q the trees will bear their fruit,
-\q and the fig trees and the vines will yield their full harvest.
+\q2 and the fig trees and the vines will yield their full harvest.
 \q
 \v 23 Be glad, people of Zion,
-\q and rejoice in Yahweh your God.
-\q For he will give you the autumn rain as vindication
+\q2 and rejoice in Yahweh your God.
+\q For he will give you the autumn rain
+\q2 as vindication
 \q and bring down showers for you,
-\q the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
+\q2 the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 24 The threshing floors will be full of wheat,
-\q and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
+\q2 and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
+\b
+
 \q
-\v 25 "I will restore to you the years of crops that the swarming locust has eaten—
+\v 25 "I will restore to you the years of crops
+\q2 that the swarming locust has eaten—
 \q the great locust, the devouring locust, and the destroying locust—
-\q my mighty army that I sent among you.
+\q2 my mighty army that I sent among you.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 26 You will eat plentifully and be satisfied,
-\q and praise the name of Yahweh your God,
-\q who has done wonders among you,
+\q2 and praise the name of Yahweh your God,
+\q2 who has done wonders among you,
 \q and I will never again bring shame on my people.
 \q
 \v 27 You will know that I am among Israel,
-\q and that I am Yahweh your God,
-\q and there is none else,
+\q2 and that I am Yahweh your God,
+\q2 and there is none else,
 \q and I will never bring shame on my people.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 28 It will come about afterward that
-\q I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
+\v 28 It will come about afterward
+\q2 that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
 \q and your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
-\q Your old men will dream dreams;
-\q your young men will see visions.
+\q2 Your old men will dream dreams;
+\q2 your young men will see visions.
 \q
 \v 29 Also on servants and female servants,
-\q in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
+\q2 in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
-\q blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
+\v 30 I will show wonders in the heavens
+\q2 and on the earth,
+\q2 blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
 \q
 \v 31 The sun will turn into darkness
-\q and the moon into blood,
-\q before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
+\q2 and the moon into blood,
+\q2 before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 32 It will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.
-\q For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be an escaped remnant,
-\q as Yahweh has said,
+\v 32 It will be that everyone who calls
+\q2 on the name of Yahweh will be saved.
+\q For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
+\q2 there will be an escaped remnant,
+\q2 as Yahweh has said,
 \q and among the survivors,
-\q those whom Yahweh calls.
+\q2 those whom Yahweh calls.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Behold, in those days and at that time,
-\q when I reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
+\q2 when I reverse the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
 \q
 \v 2 I will gather all the nations,
-\q and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
+\q2 and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
 \q I will judge them there,
-\q because of my people and my inheritance Israel,
+\q2 because of my people and my inheritance Israel,
 \q whom they scattered among the nations,
-\q and because they divided up my land.
+\q2 and because they divided up my land.
 \q
 \v 3 They cast lots for my people,
-\q traded a boy for a prostitute,
-\q and sold a girl for wine
-\q so they could drink.
+\q2 traded a boy for a prostitute,
+\q2 and sold a girl for wine so they could drink.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Now, why are you angry at me,
-\q Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?
+\q2 Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?
 \q Will you repay me?
-\q Even if you do repay me,
-\q I will immediately return your repayment on your own head.
+\q2 Even if you do repay me,
+\q2 I will immediately return your repayment on your own head.
 \q
 \v 5 For you took my silver and my gold,
-\q and you brought my precious treasures into your temples.
-\q
+\q2 and you brought my precious treasures into your temples.
 \v 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,
-\q in order to send them far away from their territory.
+\q2 in order to send them far away from their territory.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 Look, I am about to stir them up, out of the place where you sold them,
-\q and will return payment on your own head.
+\v 7 Look, I am about to stir them up,
+\q2 out of the place where you sold them,
+\q2 and will return payment on your own head.
 \q
 \v 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters,
-\q by the hand of the people of Judah.
+\q2 by the hand of the people of Judah.
 \q They will sell them to the Sabeans,
-\q to a nation far off,
-\q for Yahweh has spoken."
+\q2 to a nation far off,
+\q2 for Yahweh has spoken."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Proclaim this among the nations:
-\q "Prepare yourselves for war;
+\q2 "Prepare yourselves for war;
 \q rouse the mighty men;
-\q let them come near;
-\q let all the men of battle come up.
+\q2 let them come near;
+\q2 let all the men of battle come up.
 \q
 \v 10 Beat your plowshares into swords
-\q and your pruning knives into spears.
+\q2 and your pruning knives into spears.
 \q Let the weak say,
-\q 'I am mighty.'
+\q2 'I am mighty.'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Hurry and come,
-\q all you nearby nations;
-\q gather yourselves together there.
+\q2 all you nearby nations;
+\q2 gather yourselves together there.
+\b
 \q Yahweh, bring down your mighty warriors.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Let the nations wake themselves up
-\q and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
+\q2 and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
 \q For there will I sit to judge
-\q all the surrounding nations.
+\q2 all the surrounding nations.
 \q
 \v 13 Put in the sickle,
-\q for the harvest is ripe.
+\q2 for the harvest is ripe.
 \q Come, crush the grapes,
-\q for the winepress is full.
-\q The vats overflow,
+\q2 for the winepress is full.
+\q2 The vats overflow,
 \q for their wickedness is great."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 There is a tumult, a tumult in the Valley of Judgment.
-\q For the day of Yahweh is near in the Valley of Judgment.
+\v 14 There is a tumult, a tumult
+\q2 in the Valley of Judgment.
+\q For the day of Yahweh is near
+\q2 in the Valley of Judgment.
 \q
 \v 15 The sun and the moon become dark,
-\q the stars keep back their brightness.
+\q2 the stars keep back their brightness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 Yahweh will roar from Zion,
-\q and raise his voice from Jerusalem.
-\q The heavens and earth will shake,
+\q2 and raise his voice from Jerusalem.
+\q2 The heavens and earth will shake,
 \q but Yahweh will be a shelter for his people,
-\q and a fortress for the people of Israel.
+\q2 and a fortress for the people of Israel.
+\b
+
 \q
 \v 17 "So you will know that I am Yahweh your God
-\q who lives in Zion, my holy mountain.
+\q2 who lives in Zion, my holy mountain.
 \q Then Jerusalem will be holy,
-\q and foreigners will not pass through her again.
+\q2 and foreigners will not pass through her again.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 It will come about on that day
-\q that the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
+\q2 that the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
 \q the hills will flow with milk,
-\q all the brooks of Judah will flow with water,
+\q2 all the brooks of Judah will flow with water,
 \q and a fountain will come from the house of Yahweh
-\q and water the Valley of Shittim.
+\q2 and water the Valley of Shittim.
 \q
 \v 19 Egypt will become an abandoned devastation,
-\q and Edom will become an abandoned wilderness,
+\q2 and Edom will become an abandoned wilderness,
 \q because of the violence done to the people of Judah,
-\q because they shed innocent blood in their land.
+\q2 because they shed innocent blood in their land.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,
-\q and Jerusalem will be inhabited from generation to generation.
+\q2 and Jerusalem will be inhabited from generation to generation.
 \q
 \v 21 I will avenge their blood that I have not yet avenged,
-\q for Yahweh lives in Zion."
+\q2 for Yahweh lives in Zion."
 

30-AMO.usfm

@@ -10,193 +10,190 @@
 \c 1
 \p
 \v 1 These are the words of Amos, who was among the shepherds from Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and also in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
+\p
 \v 2 He said,
 \q "Yahweh will roar from Zion;
-\q he will raise his voice from Jerusalem.
+\q2 he will raise his voice from Jerusalem.
 \q The pastures of the shepherds will mourn;
-\q the top of Carmel will wither."
+\q2 the top of Carmel will wither."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 3 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Damascus,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
-\q because they threshed Gilead with sharp threshing sledges of iron.
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
+\q because they threshed Gilead
+\q2 with sharp threshing sledges of iron.
 \q
 \v 4 I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
-\q and it will devour the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
+\q2 and it will devour the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus
-\q and cut off the man who rules over the Valley of Aven,
+\q2 and cut off the man who rules over the Valley of Aven,
 \q and also the man who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.
-\q The people of Aram will go in captivity to Kir,"
-\q says Yahweh.
+\q2 The people of Aram will go in captivity to Kir,"
+\q2 says Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 6 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Gaza,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because they carried away captive a whole people,
-\q to hand them over to Edom.
+\q2 to hand them over to Edom.
 \q
 \v 7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza,
-\q and it will devour her fortresses.
+\q2 and it will devour her fortresses.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 I will cut off the man who lives in Ashdod
-\q and the man who holds the scepter from Ashkelon.
+\q2 and the man who holds the scepter from Ashkelon.
 \q I will turn my hand against Ekron,
-\q and the rest of the Philistines will perish,"
-\q says the Lord Yahweh.
+\q2 and the rest of the Philistines will perish,"
+\q2 says the Lord Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 9 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Tyre,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because they had delivered up a whole people to Edom,
-\q and they broke their covenant of brotherhood.
+\q2 and they broke their covenant of brotherhood.
 \q
 \v 10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre,
-\q and it will devour her fortresses."
+\q2 and it will devour her fortresses."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 11 This is what Yahweh says,
 \q "For three sins of Edom,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because he pursued his brother with the sword
-\q and cast off all pity.
+\q2 and cast off all pity.
 \q His anger tore them apart continually,
-\q and his wrath lasted forever.
+\q2 and his wrath lasted forever.
 \q
 \v 12 I will send fire on Teman,
-\q and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."
+\q2 and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 13 This is what Yahweh says,
 \q "For three sins of the people of Ammon,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead,
-\q that they may enlarge their borders.
+\q2 that they may enlarge their borders.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 I will light a fire in the walls of Rabbah,
-\q and it will devour the palaces,
+\q2 and it will devour the palaces,
 \q with a shout in the day of battle,
-\q with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
+\q2 with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
 \q
 \v 15 Their king will go into captivity,
-\q he and his officials together,"
-\q says Yahweh.
+\q2 he and his officials together,"
+\q2 says Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
-\q
+\p
 \v 1 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Moab,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because he burned the bones
-\q of the king of Edom to lime.
+\q2 of the king of Edom to lime.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 I will send fire on Moab,
-\q and it will devour the fortresses of Kerioth.
+\q2 and it will devour the fortresses of Kerioth.
 \q Moab will die in an uproar,
-\q with shouting and the sound of the ram's horn.
+\q2 with shouting and the sound of the ram's horn.
 \q
 \v 3 I will destroy the judge in her,
-\q and I will kill all the princes with him,"
-\q says Yahweh.
+\q2 and I will kill all the princes with him,"
+\q2 says Yahweh.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 4 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Judah,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because they rejected the law of Yahweh
-\q and did not keep his statutes.
+\q2 and did not keep his statutes.
 \q Their lies caused them to go astray,
-\q after which their fathers had also walked.
+\q2 after which their fathers had also walked.
 \q
 \v 5 I will send fire on Judah,
-\q and it will devour the fortresses of Jerusalem."
+\q2 and it will devour the fortresses of Jerusalem."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 6 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "For three sins of Israel,
-\q even for four,
-\q I will not turn away punishment,
+\q2 even for four, I will not turn away punishment,
 \q because they sold the innocent for silver
-\q and the needy for a pair of sandals.
+\q2 and the needy for a pair of sandals.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 They trample on the heads of the poor as people trample on dust on the ground;
-\q they push the oppressed away.
+\v 7 They trample on the heads of the poor
+\q2 as people trample on dust on the ground;
+\q2 they push the oppressed away.
 \q A man and his father go to the same girl
-\q and so profane my holy name.
+\q2 and so profane my holy name.
 \q
-\v 8 They lie down beside every altar on clothes taken as pledges,
-\q and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been forced to pay a fine.
+\v 8 They lie down beside every altar
+\q2 on clothes taken as pledges,
+\q and in the house of their God
+\q2 they drink the wine of those
+\q2 who have been forced to pay a fine.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
-\q whose height was like the height of cedars;
-\q he was strong as the oaks.
+\q2 whose height was like the height of cedars;
+\q2 he was strong as the oaks.
 \q Yet I destroyed his fruit above
-\q and his roots below.
+\q2 and his roots below.
 \q
 \v 10 Also, I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
-\q and led you forty years in the wilderness
-\q to possess the land of the Amorites.
+\q2 and led you forty years in the wilderness
+\q2 to possess the land of the Amorites.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 I raised up prophets from among your sons
-\q and Nazirites from your young men.
-\q Is it not so,
-\q people of Israel?—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 and Nazirites from your young men.
+\q Is it not so, people of Israel?—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \q
 \v 12 But you persuaded the Nazirites to drink wine
-\q and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
+\q2 and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Look, I will crush you
-\q as a cart that is full of grain can crush someone.
+\q2 as a cart that is full of grain can crush someone.
 \q
 \v 14 Escape will perish from the swift;
-\q the strong will not add to his own strength;
-\q neither will the mighty save himself.
+\q2 the strong will not add to his own strength;
+\q2 neither will the mighty save himself.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 The archer will not stand;
-\q the fast runner will not escape;
-\q the horseman will not save himself.
+\q2 the fast runner will not escape;
+\q2 the horseman will not save himself.
 \q
 \v 16 Even the bravest warriors
-\q will flee naked in that day—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\q2 will flee naked in that day—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
 \c 3
@@ -204,183 +201,178 @@
 \v 1 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
 \q
 \v 2 "I have chosen only you
-\q from all the families of the earth.
+\q2 from all the families of the earth.
 \q Therefore I will punish you
-\q for all your iniquities."
+\q2 for all your iniquities."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Will two walk together
-\q unless they have made an appointment?
+\q2 unless they have made an appointment?
 \q
 \v 4 Will a lion roar in the forest
-\q when he has no prey?
+\q2 when he has no prey?
 \q Will a young lion growl from his den
-\q if he has caught nothing?
+\q2 if he has caught nothing?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Can a bird fall in a trap on the ground
-\q when no bait is set for him?
+\q2 when no bait is set for him?
 \q Will a trap spring up from the ground
-\q when it has not caught anything?
+\q2 when it has not caught anything?
 \q
 \v 6 If a ram's horn sounds in a city,
-\q will the people not tremble?
+\q2 will the people not tremble?
 \q If disaster overtakes a city,
-\q has Yahweh not sent it?
+\q2 has Yahweh not sent it?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing
-\q unless he reveals his plan to his servants the prophets.
+\q2 unless he reveals his plan
+\q2 to his servants the prophets.
 \q
 \v 8 The lion has roared;
-\q who will not fear?
+\q2 who will not fear?
 \q The Lord Yahweh has spoken;
-\q who will not prophesy?
+\q2 who will not prophesy?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Proclaim this in the fortresses at Ashdod,
-\q and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt;
+\q2 and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt;
 \q say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria
-\q and see what great tumults are in her,
-\q and what oppression is in her.
+\q2 and see what great tumults are in her,
+\q2 and what oppression is in her.
 \q
 \v 10 For they do not know how to do right—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
 \q They store up violence
-\q and devastation in their fortresses."
+\q2 and devastation in their fortresses."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 11 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahweh says:
 \q "An enemy will surround the land,
-\q and pull down your strongholds
-\q and plunder your fortresses."
-\q
+\q2 and pull down your strongholds
+\q2 and plunder your fortresses."
+\p
 \v 12 This is what Yahweh says:
 \q "As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion
-\q two legs only, or a piece of an ear;
+\q2 two legs only, or a piece of an ear;
 \q so will the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued;
-\q they will be left with only the corner of a couch
-\q or a piece of a bed."
+\q2 they will be left with only the corner of a couch
+\q2 or a piece of a bed."
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 13 Hear and testify
-\q against the house of Jacob—
-\q this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts:
+\p
+\v 13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob— this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts:
 \q
 \v 14 "For in the day that I punish the sins of Israel,
-\q I will also punish the altars of Bethel.
+\q2 I will also punish the altars of Bethel.
 \q The horns of the altar will be cut off
-\q and fall to the ground.
+\q2 and fall to the ground.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 I will destroy the winter house
-\q with the summer house.
+\q2 with the summer house.
 \q The houses of ivory will perish,
-\q and the large houses will vanish—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\q2 and the large houses will vanish—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 Listen to this word,
-\q you cows of Bashan,
-\q you who are in the mountain of Samaria,
-\q you who oppress the poor,
-\q you who crush the needy,
-\q you who say to your husbands,
-\q "Bring us drinks."
+\v 1 Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan,
+\q2 you who are in the mountain of Samaria,
+\q you who oppress the poor, you who crush the needy,
+\q2 you who say to your husbands, "Bring us drinks."
 \q
 \v 2 The Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness,
-\q "Look, the days will come on you
+\q2 "Look, the days will come on you
 \q when they will take you away with hooks,
-\q the last of you with fishhooks.
+\q2 the last of you with fishhooks.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 You will go out through the breaks in the city wall,
-\q each one of you going straight through it,
+\q2 each one of you going straight through it,
 \q and you will be thrown out toward Harmon—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 "Go to Bethel and sin,
 \q to Gilgal and multiply transgression,
-\q bring your sacrifices every morning,
-\q your tithes every three days.
+\q2 bring your sacrifices every morning,
+\q2 your tithes every three days.
 \q
 \v 5 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice with bread;
-\q proclaim freewill offerings; announce them,
+\q2 proclaim freewill offerings; announce them,
 \q for this is what you love to do,
-\q you people of Israel—
-\q this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
+\q2 you people of Israel—
+\q2 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities
-\q and lack of bread in all your places.
+\q2 and lack of bread in all your places.
 \q Yet you have not returned to me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \q
 \v 7 I also withheld rain from you
-\q when there were still three months to the harvest.
+\q2 when there were still three months to the harvest.
 \q I caused it to rain on one city,
-\q and caused it not to rain on another city.
+\q2 and caused it not to rain on another city.
 \q One piece of land was rained on,
-\q but the piece of land where it did not rain dried up.
+\q2 but the piece of land where it did not rain dried up.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water,
-\q but were not satisfied.
+\q2 but were not satisfied.
 \q Yet you have not returned to me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \q
 \v 9 I afflicted you with blight and mildew.
-\q The multitude of your gardens,
-\q your vineyards,
-\q your fig trees,
-\q and your olive trees—
-\q the locusts devoured them all.
+\q2 The multitude of your gardens,
+\q your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees—
+\q2 the locusts devoured them all.
 \q Yet you have not returned to me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 I sent a plague on you as on Egypt.
+\v 10 I sent a plague on you
+\q2 as on Egypt.
 \q I killed your young men with the sword,
-\q along with the captivity of your horses,
+\q2 along with the captivity of your horses,
 \q and made the stench of your camp come up
-\q to your nostrils.
+\q2 to your nostrils.
 \q Yet you have not returned to me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \q
 \v 11 I overthrew cities among you,
-\q as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
+\q2 as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
 \q You were like a burning stick snatched out of the fire.
-\q Yet you have not returned to me—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\q2 Yet you have not returned to me—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Therefore I will do something terrible to you, Israel;
-\q and because I will do something terrible to you,
-\q prepare to meet your God, Israel!
+\q2 and because I will do something terrible to you,
+\q2 prepare to meet your God, Israel!
 \q
 \v 13 For, look, he who forms the mountains
-\q also creates the wind,
-\q reveals his thoughts to mankind,
+\q2 also creates the wind,
+\q2 reveals his thoughts to mankind,
 \q makes the dawn become darkness,
-\q and treads on the high places of the earth.
-\q Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name."
+\q2 and treads on the high places of the earth.
+\q2 Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name."
 
 \s5
 \c 5
@@ -388,190 +380,191 @@
 \v 1 Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, house of Israel.
 \q
 \v 2 The virgin Israel has fallen;
-\q she will rise no more;
-\q she is forsaken on her land;
-\q there is no one to raise her up.
+\q2 she will rise no more;
+\q she is abandoned on her land;
+\q2 there is no one to raise her up.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 3 For this is what the Lord Yahweh says:
-\q "The city that went out with a thousand will have a hundred remaining,
-\q and the one that went out with a hundred will have ten remaining
-\q for the house of Israel."
+\q "The city that went out with a thousand
+\q2 will have a hundred remaining,
+\q and the one that went out with a hundred
+\q2 will have ten remaining for the house of Israel."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 4 For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel:
 \q "Seek me and live!
-\q
+\q2
 \v 5 Do not seek Bethel;
 \q nor enter Gilgal;
-\q do not journey to Beersheba.
+\q2 do not journey to Beersheba.
 \q For Gilgal will surely go into captivity,
-\q and Bethel will become nothing.
+\q2 and Bethel will become nothing.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 Seek Yahweh and live,
-\q or he will break out like fire
-\q in the house of Joseph.
+\q2 or he will break out like fire
+\q2 in the house of Joseph.
 \q It will devour,
-\q and there will be no one to quench it in Bethel.
+\q2 and there will be no one to quench it in Bethel.
 \q
 \v 7 Those people turn justice into a bitter thing
-\q and throw righteousness down to the ground!"
+\q2 and throw righteousness down to the ground!"
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 God made the Pleiades and Orion;
-\q he turns deep darkness into the morning;
-\q he makes the day dark with night
+\q2 he turns deep darkness into the morning;
+\q2 he makes the day dark with night
 \q and calls for the waters of the sea;
-\q he pours them out on the surface of the earth.
-\q Yahweh is his name!
+\q2 he pours them out on the surface of the earth.
+\q2 Yahweh is his name!
 \q
 \v 9 He brings sudden destruction on the strong
-\q so that destruction comes on the fortresses.
+\q2 so that destruction comes on the fortresses.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 They hate anyone who reproves them in the city gate,
-\q and they abhor anyone who speaks with integrity.
+\q2 and they abhor anyone who speaks with integrity.
 \q
 \v 11 Because you trample down the poor
-\q and seize a tribute of wheat from him—
+\q2 and seize a tribute of wheat from him—
 \q although you have built houses of worked stone,
-\q you will not live in them.
+\q2 you will not live in them.
 \q You have planted delightful vineyards,
-\q but you will not drink their wine.
+\q2 but you will not drink their wine.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 For I know how many are your offenses
-\q and how mighty are your sins—
-\q you who afflict the just,
-\q take bribes,
-\q and turn aside the needy in the city gate.
+\q2 and how mighty are your sins.
+\q you who afflict the just, take bribes,
+\q2 and turn aside the needy in the city gate.
 \q
 \v 13 Therefore any prudent person is silent at such a time,
-\q for it is an evil time.
+\q2 for it is an evil time.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 Seek good and not evil,
-\q so that you may live.
+\q2 so that you may live.
 \q So Yahweh, the God of hosts, will really be with you,
-\q as you say he is.
+\q2 as you say he is.
 \q
 \v 15 Hate evil, love good,
-\q establish justice in the city gate.
+\q2 establish justice in the city gate.
 \q Perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious
-\q to the remnant of Joseph.
+\q2 to the remnant of Joseph.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 16 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says,
-\q the God of hosts, the Lord,
+\p
+\v 16 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says, the God of hosts, the Lord,
 \q "Wailing will be in all the squares,
-\q and they will say in all the streets,
-\q 'Woe! Woe!'
+\q2 and they will say in all the streets,
+\q2 'Woe! Woe!'
 \q They will call the farmers to mourning
-\q and those who know lamentation to wailing.
+\q2 and those who know lamentation to wailing.
 \q
 \v 17 In all vineyards there will be wailing,
-\q for I will pass through your midst,"
-\q says Yahweh.
+\q2 for I will pass through your midst,"
+\q2 says Yahweh.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh!
+\v 18 Woe to you who desire
+\q2 the day of Yahweh!
 \q Why do you long for the day of Yahweh?
-\q It will be darkness and not light,
+\q2 It will be darkness and not light,
 \q
 \v 19 as when a man flees from a lion
-\q and a bear meets him,
+\q2 and a bear meets him,
 \q or he goes in a house and puts his hand on the wall
-\q and a snake bites him.
+\q2 and a snake bites him.
 \q
 \v 20 Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light?
-\q Gloom and no brightness?
+\q2 Gloom and no brightness?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 21 "I hate, I despise your festivals,
-\q I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
+\q2 I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
 \q
 \v 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
-\q I will not accept them,
-\q neither will I look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.
+\q2 I will not accept them,
+\q neither will I look at the fellowship offerings
+\q2 of your fattened animals.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 23 Remove from me the noise of your songs;
-\q I will not listen to the sound of your lutes.
+\q2 I will not listen to the sound of your lutes.
 \q
 \v 24 Instead, let justice flow like water,
-\q and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.
+\q2 and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
-\q in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel?
+\q2 in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel?
 \q
 \v 26 You have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king,
-\q and Kaiwan, your star god,
-\q which you made for yourselves.
+\q2 and Kaiwan, your star god,
+\q2 which you made for yourselves.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 27 Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,"
-\q says Yahweh,
-\q whose name is the God of hosts.
+\q2 says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
-\q and to those who are secure in the hill country of Samaria,
+\q2 and to those who are secure in the hill country of Samaria,
 \q the notable men of the most important of the nations,
-\q to whom the house of Israel comes for help!
+\q2 to whom the house of Israel comes for help!
 \q
 \v 2 Your leaders say, "Go to Kalneh and look;
-\q from there go to Hamath, the great city;
-\q then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
+\q2 from there go to Hamath, the great city;
+\q2 then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
 \q Are they better than your two kingdoms?
-\q Is their border larger than your border?"
+\q2 Is their border larger than your border?"
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Woe to those who put off the day of disaster
-\q and make the throne of violence come near.
+\q2 and make the throne of violence come near.
 \q
 \v 4 They lie down on beds of ivory
-\q and lounge on their couches.
+\q2 and lounge on their couches.
 \q They eat lambs from the flock
-\q and calves from the stall.
+\q2 and calves from the stall.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 They sing foolish songs to the music of the lute;
-\q they improvise on instruments as David did.
+\q2 they improvise on instruments as David did.
 \q
 \v 6 They drink wine from bowls
-\q and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
-\q but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
+\q2 and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
+\q2 but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 So they will now go into exile with the first exiles,
-\q and the feasts of those who lounge about will pass away.
+\q2 and the feasts of those who lounge about will pass away.
 \q
 \v 8 "I, the Lord Yahweh, have sworn by myself—
-\q this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts,
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts,
 \q I detest the pride of Jacob;
-\q I hate his fortresses.
-\q Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it."
+\q2 I hate his fortresses.
+\q Therefore I will deliver up the city
+\q2 with all that is in it."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -581,25 +574,25 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 For, look, Yahweh will give a command,
-\q and the big house will be smashed to pieces,
-\q and the little house to bits.
+\q2 and the big house will be smashed to pieces,
+\q2 and the little house to bits.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Do horses run on the rocky cliffs?
-\q Does one plow there with oxen?
+\q2 Does one plow there with oxen?
 \q Yet you have turned justice into poison
-\q and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
+\q2 and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
 \q
 \v 13 you who rejoice over Lo Debar,
-\q who say, "Have we not taken Karnaim by our own strength?"
+\q2 who say, "Have we not taken Karnaim by our own strength?"
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 "But look, I will raise up against you a nation,
-\q house of Israel—this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts.
+\q2 house of Israel—this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of hosts.
 \q They will afflict you
-\q from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the Arabah."
+\q2 from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the Arabah."
 
 \s5
 \c 7
@@ -622,15 +615,15 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 The high places of Isaac will be destroyed,
-\q the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined,
-\q and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
+\q2 the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined,
+\q2 and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: "Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words.
 \v 11 For this is what Amos said,
 \q 'Jeroboam will die by the sword,
-\q and Israel will surely go into exile away from his land.'"
+\q2 and Israel will surely go into exile away from his land.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -643,13 +636,15 @@
 \v 15 But Yahweh took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
 
 \s5
-\v 16 Now hear the word of Yahweh. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not speak against the house of Isaac.'
+\v 16 Now hear the word of Yahweh. You say,
+\q 'Do not prophesy against Israel,
+\q2 and do not speak against the house of Isaac.'
 \p
 \v 17 Therefore this is what Yahweh says,
 \q 'Your wife will be a prostitute in the city;
-\q your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword;
+\q2 your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword;
 \q your land will be measured and divided up;
-\q you will die in an unclean land,
+\q2 you will die in an unclean land,
 \q and Israel will surely go into exile from his land.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -658,169 +653,179 @@
 \v 1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, a basket of summer fruit!
 \v 2 He said, "What do you see, Amos?" I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then Yahweh said to me,
 \q "The end has come for my people Israel;
-\q I will spare them no longer.
+\q2 I will spare them no longer.
 \q
 \v 3 The songs of the temple will become wailings in that day—
-\q this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
+\q2 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
 \q many dead bodies, they are thrown everywhere!
-\q Silence!"
+\q2 Silence!"
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Listen to this, you who trample the needy
-\q and remove the poor of the land.
+\q2 and remove the poor of the land.
 \p
 \v 5 They say,
 \q "When will the new moon be over,
-\q so we can sell grain again?
+\q2 so we can sell grain again?
 \q When will the Sabbath day be over,
-\q so that we can sell wheat?
+\q2 so that we can sell wheat?
 \q We will make the measure small
-\q and increase the price,
-\q as we cheat with deceitful scales.
+\q2 and increase the price,
+\q2 as we cheat with deceitful scales.
 \q
 \v 6 This is so we can sell bad wheat, buy the poor with silver,
-\q and the needy for a pair of sandals."
+\q2 and the needy for a pair of sandals."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I will never forget any of their actions."
 \q
 \v 8 Will not the land quake for this,
-\q and everyone who lives in it mourn?
+\q2 and everyone who lives in it mourn?
 \q All of it will rise up like the Nile River,
-\q and it will be tossed about and sink again,
-\q like the river of Egypt.
+\q2 and it will be tossed about and sink again,
+\q2 like the river of Egypt.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 "It will come in that day—
-\q this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
+\q2 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
 \q that I will make the sun set at noon,
-\q and I will darken the earth at daylight.
+\q2 and I will darken the earth at daylight.
 \q
 \v 10 I will turn your festivals into mourning
-\q and all your songs into lamentation.
+\q2 and all your songs into lamentation.
 \q I put sackcloth on all loins
-\q and have baldness on every head.
+\q2 and have baldness on every head.
 \q I will make it like mourning for an only son,
-\q and a bitter day to its end.
+\q2 and a bitter day to its end.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Look, the days are coming—
-\q this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
-\q when I will send a famine in the land,
-\q not a famine for bread,
-\q nor of thirst for water,
-\q but for hearing the words of Yahweh.
+\q2 this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh—
+\q2 when I will send a famine in the land,
+\q not a famine for bread, nor of thirst for water,
+\q2 but for hearing the words of Yahweh.
 \q
 \v 12 They will stagger from sea to sea;
-\q they will run from the north to the east
+\q2 they will run from the north to the east
 \q to seek the word of Yahweh,
-\q but they will not find it.
+\q2 but they will not find it.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 In that day the beautiful virgins
-\q and the young men will faint from thirst.
+\v 13 In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men
+\q2 will faint from thirst.
 \q
 \v 14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria \f + \ft Instead of \fqa the sin of Samaria \fqa* , some scholars translate the Hebrew as, \fqa Ashimah of Samaria \fqa* . Ashimah was the name of a pagan goddess worshiped in some parts of Syria. \f*
-\q and say, 'As your god lives, Dan,'
-\q and, 'As the way to Beersheba exists,' \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, \fqa As the way to Beersheba exists \fqa* , where this might refer to what people going to worship Beersheba's idols might have said. However, some scholars understand the Hebrew text to read \fqa As the loved one of Beersheba lives \fqa* . Here \fqa loved one \fqa* stands for an idol worshiped in Beersheba. \f*
+\q2 and say, 'As your god lives, Dan,'
+\q2 and, 'As the way to Beersheba exists,' \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, \fqa As the way to Beersheba exists \fqa* , where this might refer to what people going to worship Beersheba's idols might have said. However, some scholars understand the Hebrew text to read \fqa As the loved one of Beersheba lives \fqa* . Here \fqa loved one \fqa* stands for an idol worshiped in Beersheba. \f*
 \q they will fall and never rise again."
 
 \s5
 \c 9
 \p
-\v 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said, "Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake.
+\v 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said,
+\q "Strike the tops of the pillars
+\q2 so that the thresholds will shake.
 \q Break them in pieces on all of their heads,
-\q and I will kill the last of them with the sword.
+\q2 and I will kill the last of them with the sword.
 \q Not one of them will get away;
-\q not one of them will escape.
+\q2 not one of them will escape.
 \q
 \v 2 Though they dig into Sheol,
-\q there my hand will take them.
+\q2 there my hand will take them.
 \q Though they climb up to heaven,
-\q there I will bring them down.
+\q2 there I will bring them down.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Though they hide on the top of Carmel,
-\q there I will search and take them.
+\q2 there I will search and take them.
 \q Though they are hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea,
-\q there will I command the serpent, and it will bite them.
+\q2 there will I command the serpent, and it will bite them.
 \q
 \v 4 Though they go into captivity, driven by their enemies before them,
-\q there will I give orders to the sword, and it will kill them.
-\q I will keep my eyes on them for harm and not for good."
+\q2 there will I give orders to the sword, and it will kill them.
+\q I will keep my eyes on them
+\q2 for harm and not for good."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 The Lord Yahweh of hosts
 \q touches the land and it melts;
-\q all who live in it mourn;
+\q2 all who live in it mourn;
 \q all of it will rise up like the River,
-\q and sink again like the river of Egypt.
+\q2 and sink again like the river of Egypt.
 \q
 \v 6 It is he who builds his steps in the heavens,
-\q and has established his vault over the earth.
+\q2 and has established his vault over the earth.
 \q He calls for the waters of the sea,
-\q and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
-\q Yahweh is his name.
+\q2 and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
+\q2 Yahweh is his name.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 "Are you not like the people of Cush to me,
-\q people of Israel—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\q2 people of Israel—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
 \q did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt,
-\q the Philistines from Crete,
-\q and the Arameans from Kir?
+\q2 the Philistines from Crete,
+\q2 and the Arameans from Kir?
 \q
-\v 8 Look, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom,
-\q and I will destroy it from the face of the earth,
-\q except that I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 8 Look, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh
+\q2 are on the sinful kingdom,
+\q and I will destroy it
+\q2 from the face of the earth,
+\q except that I will not totally destroy
+\q2 the house of Jacob—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Look, I will give a command,
-\q and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations,
+\q2 and I will shake the house of Israel
+\q2 among all the nations,
 \q as one shakes grain in a sieve,
-\q so that not the smallest stone will fall to the ground.
+\q2 so that not the smallest stone will fall to the ground.
 \q
-\v 10 All the sinners of my people will die by the sword,
-\q those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'
+\v 10 All the sinners of my people
+\q2 will die by the sword,
+\q those who say,
+\q2 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 In that day I will raise up the tent of David that has fallen,
-\q and close up its breaches.
+\v 11 In that day
+\q2 I will raise up the tent of David that has fallen,
+\q2 and close up its breaches.
 \q I will raise up its ruins,
-\q and rebuild it as in the days of old,
+\q2 and rebuild it as in the days of old,
 \q
 \v 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
-\q and all the nations that are called by my name—
-\q this is Yahweh's declaration—he does this.
+\q2 and all the nations that are called by my name—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—he does this.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 Look, the days will come—this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\v 13 Look, the days will come—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
 \q when the plowman will overtake the reaper,
-\q and the treader of grapes will overtake him who plants seed.
+\q2 and the treader of grapes will overtake him who plants seed.
 \q The mountains will drip sweet wine,
-\q and all the hills will flow with it.
+\q2 and all the hills will flow with it.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 I will bring back from captivity my people Israel.
-\q They will build the ruined cities and inhabit them,
+\q2 They will build the ruined cities and inhabit them,
 \q they will plant vineyards and drink their wine,
-\q and they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
+\q2 and they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
 \q
 \v 15 I will plant them upon their land,
-\q and they will never again be uprooted from the land
-\q that I have given them,"
-\q says Yahweh your God.
+\q2 and they will never again be uprooted from the land
+\q2 that I have given them,"
+\q1 says Yahweh your God.
 

32-JON.usfm

@@ -53,43 +53,50 @@
 \v 1 Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the fish's stomach.
 \v 2 He said,
 \q "I called out to Yahweh about my distress
-\q and he answered me;
+\q2 and he answered me;
 \q from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help!
-\q You heard my voice.
+\q2 You heard my voice.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 You had thrown me into the depths, into the heart of the seas,
-\q and the currents surrounded me;
+\v 3 You had thrown me into the depths,
+\q2 into the heart of the seas,
+\q2 and the currents surrounded me;
 \q all your waves and billows
-\q passed over me.
+\q2 passed over me.
 \q
-\v 4 I said, 'I am driven out from before your eyes;
-\q yet I will again look toward your holy temple.'
+\v 4 I said, 'I am driven out
+\q2 from before your eyes;
+\q yet I will again look
+\q2 toward your holy temple.'
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 The waters closed around me up to my neck;
-\q the deep was all around me;
-\q seaweed wrapped around my head.
+\q2 the deep was all around me;
+\q2 seaweed wrapped around my head.
 \q
 \v 6 I went down to the bases of the mountains;
-\q the earth with its bars closed upon me forever.
-\q Yet you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh, my God!
+\q2 the earth with its bars closed upon me forever.
+\q Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
+\q2 Yahweh, my God!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 When my soul fainted within me, I called Yahweh to mind;
-\q then my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.
+\v 7 When my soul fainted within me,
+\q2 I called Yahweh to mind;
+\q then my prayer came to you
+\q2 to your holy temple.
 \q
 \v 8 They give attention to meaningless gods
-\q while they forsake covenant faithfulness.
+\q2 while they abandon covenant faithfulness.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving;
+\v 9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to you
+\q2 with a voice of thanksgiving;
 \q I will fulfill that which I have vowed.
-\q Salvation comes from Yahweh!"
+\q2 Salvation comes from Yahweh!"
 \m
 \p
 \v 10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah upon the dry land.

33-MIC.usfm

@@ -14,512 +14,539 @@
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 Listen, all you peoples.
-\q Listen, earth, and all that is in you.
+\q2 Listen, earth, and all that is in you.
 \q Let the Lord Yahweh be a witness against you,
-\q the Lord from his holy temple.
+\q2 the Lord from his holy temple.
 \q
 \v 3 Look, Yahweh comes out of his place;
-\q he will come down and tread
-\q on the high places of the earth.
+\q2 he will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
 \q
 \v 4 The mountains will melt under him;
-\q the valleys will break apart,
+\q2 the valleys will break apart,
 \q like wax before fire,
-\q like waters that are poured down a steep place.
+\q2 like waters that are poured down a steep place.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 All this is because of Jacob's transgression,
-\q and because of the sins of the house of Israel.
+\q2 and because of the sins of the house of Israel.
 \q What is Jacob's transgression?
-\q Is it not Samaria?
+\q2 Is it not Samaria?
 \q What is Judah's high place?
-\q Is it not Jerusalem?
+\q2 Is it not Jerusalem?
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 "I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field,
-\q a place for planting vineyards,
+\q2 a place for planting vineyards,
 \q and I will pour her stones down into the valley
-\q and I will uncover her foundations.
+\q2 and I will uncover her foundations.
 \q
 \v 7 All her carved figures will be broken to pieces,
-\q and all her gifts that she received will be burned with fire,
-\q and I will make all her idols desolate.
+\q2 and all her gifts that she received will be burned with fire,
+\q2 and I will make all her idols desolate.
 \q Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
-\q they will become the wages of prostitutes again."
-
+\q2 they will become the wages of prostitutes again."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 For this reason I will lament and wail;
-\q I will go barefoot and naked;
+\q2 I will go barefoot and naked;
 \q I will wail like the jackals
-\q and mourn like owls.
+\q2 and mourn like owls.
 \q
 \v 9 For her wound is incurable,
-\q for it has come to Judah.
+\q2 for it has come to Judah.
 \q It has reached the gate of my people,
-\q to Jerusalem.
+\q2 to Jerusalem.
 \q
 \v 10 Do not tell about it in Gath;
-\q do not weep at all.
-\q At Beth Leaphrah I roll myself in the dust.
+\q2 do not weep at all.
+\q At Beth Leaphrah
+\q2 I roll myself in the dust.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 Pass by, inhabitants of Shaphir,
-\q in nakedness and shame.
-\q The inhabitants of Zaanan do not come out.
+\q2 in nakedness and shame.
+\q The inhabitants of Zaanan
+\q2 do not come out.
 \q Beth Ezel mourns,
-\q for their protection is taken away.
+\q2 for their protection is taken away.
 \q
-\v 12 For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good news,
+\v 12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
+\q2 wait anxiously for good news,
 \q because disaster has come down from Yahweh
-\q to the gates of Jerusalem.
+\q2 to the gates of Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses, inhabitants of Lachish.
+\v 13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
+\q2 inhabitants of Lachish.
 \q You, Lachish, were the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion,
-\q for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
+\q2 for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
 \q
-\v 14 So you will give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath;
-\q the houses of Akzib will disappoint the kings of Israel.
+\v 14 So you will give parting gifts
+\q2 to Moresheth Gath;
+\q the houses of Akzib will disappoint
+\q2 the kings of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
-\q inhabitants of Mareshah;
-\q the splendor of Israel will come to Adullam.
+\q2 inhabitants of Mareshah;
+\q the splendor of Israel
+\q2 will come to Adullam.
 \q
-\v 16 Shave your head
-\q and cut off your hair
-\q for the children in whom you delight.
+\v 16 Shave your head and cut off your hair
+\q2 for the children in whom you delight.
 \q Make yourself as bald as eagles,
-\q for your children will go into exile from you.
+\q2 for your children will go into exile from you.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
-\q to those who plan on their beds to do evil.
+\q2 to those who plan on their beds to do evil.
 \q In the morning light they do it
-\q because they have power.
+\q2 because they have power.
 \q
 \v 2 They desire fields and seize them;
-\q they desire houses and take them.
+\q2 they desire houses and take them.
 \q They oppress a man and his house,
-\q a man and his inheritance.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 3 Therefore Yahweh says this,
-\q "Look, I am planning to bring disaster against this clan,
-\q from which you will not remove your necks.
-\q You will not walk arrogantly,
-\q for it will be an evil time.
-\q
-\v 4 In that day men will sing a taunting song about you,
-\q and lament with a wailing lamentation.
-\q They will sing, 'We Israelites are completely ruined;
-\q Yahweh changes the portion of my people.
-\q How can he remove it from me?
-\q He portions out our fields to traitors!'"
-\q
-\v 5 Therefore, you rich people will have no descendants to divide up the territory by lot
-\q in the assembly of Yahweh.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 6 "Do not prophesy,"
-\q they say.
-\q "They must not prophesy these things;
-\q reproaches must not come."
-\q
-\v 7 Should it really be said, house of Jacob,
-\q "Is the Spirit of Yahweh impatient?
-\q Are these really his deeds?"
-\q Do not my words do good
-\q to anyone who walks uprightly?
-\q
-\v 8 Lately my people have risen up like an enemy.
-\q You strip the robe, the garment, from those who pass by unsuspectingly,
-\q as soldiers return from war to what they think is safety.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 9 You drive the women belonging to my people from their pleasant houses;
-\q you take my splendor from their young children forever.
-\q
-\v 10 Get up and leave,
-\q for this is not a place where you can rest,
-\q because of its uncleanness;
-\q it is destroyed with complete destruction.
-\q
-\v 11 If someone comes to you in a spirit of falsehood and lies and says,
-\q "I will prophesy to you about wine and strong drink,"
-\q he would be considered to be a prophet for this people.
+\q2 a man and his inheritance.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob.
-\q I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.
-\q I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,
-\q like a flock in the midst of their pasture.
-\q There will be a loud noise because of the multitude of people.
+\v 3 Therefore Yahweh says this,
+\q "Look, I am planning to bring disaster against this clan,
+\q2 from which you will not remove your necks.
+\q You will not walk arrogantly,
+\q2 for it will be an evil time.
 \q
-\v 13 Someone who breaks open their way for them will go ahead of them.
-\q They break through the gate and go out;
+\v 4 In that day men will sing a taunting song about you,
+\q2 and lament with a wailing lamentation.
+\q They will sing, 'We Israelites are completely ruined;
+\q2 Yahweh changes the portion of my people.
+\q How can he remove it from me?
+\q2 He portions out our fields to traitors!'"
+\b
+\q
+\v 5 Therefore, you rich people will have no descendants
+\q2 to divide up the territory by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.
+\b
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 6 "Do not prophesy," their prophets say.
+\q2 "They must not prophesy these things;
+\q2 disgrace will not overtake us."
+\q
+\v 7 Should it really be said, house of Jacob,
+\q2 "Is the Spirit of Yahweh impatient?
+\q2 Are these really his deeds?"
+\b
+\q Do not my words do good
+\q2 to anyone who walks uprightly?
+
+\q
+\v 8 Lately my people have risen up
+\q2 like an enemy.
+\q You strip the robe, the garment,
+\q2 from those who pass by unsuspectingly,
+\q2 as soldiers return from war to what they think is safety.
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 9 You drive the women belonging to my people
+\q2 from their pleasant houses;
+\q you take my splendor
+\q2 from their young children forever.
+\q
+\v 10 Get up and leave,
+\q2 for this is not a place where you can rest,
+\q because of its uncleanness;
+\q2 it is destroyed with complete destruction.
+\q
+\v 11 If someone comes to you in a spirit of falsehood and lies and says,
+\q2 "I will prophesy to you about wine and strong drink,"
+\q2 he would be considered to be a prophet for this people.
+\b
+\s5
+\q
+\v 12 I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob.
+\q2 I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.
+\q I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,
+\q2 like a flock in the midst of their pasture.
+\q There will be a loud noise
+\q2 because of the multitude of people.
+\q
+\v 13 Someone who breaks open their way for them
+\q2 will go ahead of them.
+\q2 They break through the gate and go out;
 \q their king will pass on before them.
-\q Yahweh will be at their head.
+\q2 Yahweh will be at their head.
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \m
-\q
-\v 1 I said, "Now listen,
-\q you leaders of Jacob
-\q and rulers of the house of Israel:
+\p
+\v 1 I said,
+\q "Now listen, you leaders of Jacob
+\q2 and rulers of the house of Israel:
 \q Is it not right for you to understand justice?
-\q
-\v 2 You who hate good
-\q and love evil,
+\q2
+\v 2 You who hate good and love evil,
 \q you who tear off their skin,
-\q their flesh from their bones—
+\q2 their flesh from their bones—
 \q
 \v 3 you who also eat the flesh of my people,
-\q and tear off their skin,
-\q break their bones,
+\q2 and tear off their skin,
+\q2 break their bones,
 \q and chop them in pieces,
-\q just like meat for a pot,
-\q just like meat in a cauldron.
-
+\q2 just like meat for a pot,
+\q2 just like meat in a cauldron.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Then you rulers will cry out to Yahweh,
-\q but he will not answer you.
+\q2 but he will not answer you.
 \q He will hide his face from you at that time,
-\q because you have done evil deeds."
+\q2 because you have done evil deeds."
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 5 Yahweh says this,
-\q "As for the prophets who lead my people astray,
+\q "As for the prophets
+\q2 who lead my people astray,
 \q if one gives them something to eat,
-\q they proclaim, 'Peace.'
+\q2 they proclaim, 'Peace.'
 \q But if he puts nothing in their mouths,
-\q they dedicate themselves to wage war on him.
+\q2 they dedicate themselves to wage war on him.
 \q
 \v 6 Therefore, it will be night for you with no vision for you;
-\q it will be dark so that you will do no divination.
+\q2 it will be dark so that you will do no divination.
 \q The sun will go down on the prophets,
-\q and the day will be dark on them.
+\q2 and the day will be dark on them.
 \q
 \v 7 The seers will be put to shame,
-\q and the diviners will be embarrassed.
+\q2 and the diviners will be embarrassed.
 \q All of them will cover their lips,
-\q for there is no answer from God."
+\q2 for there is no answer from God."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh,
-\q and am full of justice and might,
+\q2 and am full of justice and might,
 \q to declare to Jacob his transgression,
-\q and to Israel his sin.
-
+\q2 and to Israel his sin.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Now listen to this,
-\q you leaders of the house of Jacob,
-\q and rulers of the house of Israel,
+\q2 you leaders of the house of Jacob,
+\q2 and rulers of the house of Israel,
 \q you who detest justice,
-\q and pervert everything that is right.
+\q2 and pervert everything that is right.
 \q
 \v 10 You build Zion with blood
-\q and Jerusalem with iniquity.
+\q2 and Jerusalem with iniquity.
 \q
 \v 11 Your leaders judge for a bribe,
-\q your priests teach for a price,
-\q and your prophets do divination for money.
+\q2 your priests teach for a price,
+\q2 and your prophets do divination for money.
 \q Yet you rely on Yahweh and say,
-\q "Is not Yahweh with us?
-\q No evil will come on us."
+\q2 "Is not Yahweh with us?
+\q2 No evil will come on us."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 Therefore, because of you,
-\q Zion will become a plowed field,
-\q Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
-\q and the hill of the temple will become high places of a thicket.
+\q2 Zion will become a plowed field,
+\q2 Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
+\q and the hill of the temple
+\q2 will become high places of a thicket.
 
 \s5
 \c 4
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 But in the last days it will come about
-\q that the mountain of the house of Yahweh
-\q will be established as the chief over the other mountains.
+\q2 that the mountain of the house of Yahweh
+\q2 will be established as the chief over the other mountains.
 \q It will be exalted above the hills,
-\q and peoples will stream to it.
+\q2 and peoples will stream to it.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 2 Many nations will go and say,
 \q "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
-\q to the house of the God of Jacob.
+\q2 to the house of the God of Jacob.
 \q He will teach us his ways,
-\q and we will walk in his paths."
+\q2 and we will walk in his paths."
 \q For from Zion the law will go out,
-\q and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
+\q2 and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
 \q
 \v 3 He will judge among many peoples
-\q and will decide concerning numerous nations far away.
+\q2 and will decide concerning numerous nations far away.
 \q They will beat their swords into plowshares
-\q and their spears into pruning hooks.
+\q2 and their spears into pruning hooks.
 \q Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
-\q nor will they train for war any longer.
+\q2 nor will they train for war any longer.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Instead, they will sit every person under his vine
-\q and under his fig tree.
+\q2 and under his fig tree.
 \q No one will make them afraid,
-\q for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
+\q2 for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
 \q
 \v 5 For all the peoples walk,
-\q each one, in the name of their god.
+\q2 each one, in the name of their god.
 \q But we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God
-\q forever and ever.
+\q2 forever and ever.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 "On that day"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q "I will assemble the lame
+\q2 "I will assemble the lame
 \q and gather the outcast,
-\q those whom I have afflicted.
+\q2 those whom I have afflicted.
 \q
 \v 7 I will turn the lame into a remnant,
-\q and the ones driven away into a strong nation,
+\q2 and the ones driven away into a strong nation,
 \q and I, Yahweh, will reign over them on Mount Zion,
-\q now and forever.
+\q2 now and forever.
 \q
 \v 8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,
-\q hill of the daughter of Zion—
+\q2 hill of the daughter of Zion—
 \q to you it will come, your former dominion will be restored,
-\q the kingdom that belongs to the daughter of Jerusalem.
+\q2 the kingdom that belongs to the daughter of Jerusalem.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Now, why do you shout so loudly?
-\q Is there no king among you?
+\q2 Is there no king among you?
 \q Has your counselor died?
-\q Is this why pain like a woman in labor seizes you?
+\q2 Is this why pain like a woman in labor seizes you?
 \q
 \v 10 Be in pain
-\q and labor to give birth,
-\q daughter of Zion,
-\q like a woman in labor.
-\q For now you will you go out of the city,
-\q live in the field,
+\q2 and labor to give birth, daughter of Zion,
+\q2 like a woman in labor.
+\q For now you will go out of the city,
+\q2 live in the field,
 \q and go to Babylon.
-\q There you will be rescued.
+\q2 There you will be rescued.
 \q There Yahweh will redeem you
-\q from the hand of your enemies.
-
+\q2 from the hand of your enemies.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 Now many nations are assembled against you;
+\v 11 Now many nations
+\q2 are assembled against you;
 \q they say, 'Let her be defiled;
-\q let our eyes gloat over Zion.'
+\q2 let our eyes gloat over Zion.'
 \q
 \v 12 They do not know Yahweh's thoughts,
-\q neither do they understand his plans,
-\q for he has gathered them like bundles of grain prepared for the threshing floor.
+\q2 neither do they understand his plans,
+\q for he has gathered them like bundles of grain
+\q2 prepared for the threshing floor.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
-\q for I will make your horn to be iron,
+\q2 for I will make your horn to be iron,
 \q and I will make your hooves to be bronze.
-\q You will crush many peoples and you will devote their unjust gain to Yahweh,
-\q their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."
+\q2 You will crush many peoples
+\q and you will devote their unjust gain to Yahweh,
+\q2 their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."
 
 \s5
 \c 5
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 Now come together in battle ranks,
-\q daughter of soldiers!
-\q A siege has been set up against us!
+\v 1 Now come together in battle ranks, daughter of soldiers!
+\q2 A siege has been set up against us!
 \q With a rod they strike the judge of Israel
-\q on the cheek. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa come together in battle ranks \fqa* , some modern translations read \fqa cut yourselves \fqa* , referring to the pagan practice of cutting oneself while praying to idols. There are some modern translations that follow an ancient translation of the Hebrew text that reads \fqa build up your fortifications \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 on the cheek. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa come together in battle ranks \fqa* , some modern translations read \fqa cut yourselves \fqa* , referring to the pagan practice of cutting oneself while praying to idols. There are some modern translations that follow an ancient translation of the Hebrew text that reads \fqa build up your fortifications \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
-\q even though you are small among the clans of Judah,
+\q2 even though you are small among the clans of Judah,
 \q out of you one will come to me
-\q to rule in Israel,
+\q2 to rule in Israel,
 \q whose beginning is from ancient times,
-\q from everlasting.
+\q2 from everlasting.
 \q
 \v 3 Therefore God will give them up,
-\q until the time when she who is in labor bears a child,
-\q and the rest of his brothers return to the people of Israel.
+\q2 until the time when she who is in labor bears a child,
+\q and the rest of his brothers return
+\q2 to the people of Israel.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 He will stand
-\q and shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh,
-\q in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
+\v 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
+\q2 in the strength of Yahweh,
+\q2 in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God.
 \q They will remain,
-\q for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
+\q2 for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
 \q
 \v 5 He will give us peace.
+\b
 \q When the Assyrians come into our land,
-\q and when they march against our fortresses,
+\q2 and when they march against our fortresses,
 \q then we will raise against them seven shepherds
-\q and eight leaders over men.
+\q2 and eight leaders over men.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
-\q and the land of Nimrod in its entrances. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have the phrase: \fqa in its entrances \fqa* , that is, in their gates. However, some modern translations suppose that a different Hebrew word was intended: \fqa with a drawn sword \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 and the land of Nimrod in its entrances. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have the phrase: \fqa in its entrances \fqa* , that is, in their gates. However, some modern translations suppose that a different Hebrew word was intended: \fqa with a drawn sword \fqa* . \f*
 \q He will rescue us from the Assyrians,
-\q when they come into our land,
-\q when they march inside our borders.
+\q2 when they come into our land,
+\q2 when they march inside our borders.
+\b
 \q
-\v 7 The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples,
+\v 7 The remnant of Jacob will be
+\q2 in the midst of many peoples,
 \q like dew from Yahweh,
-\q like showers on the grass,
+\q2 like showers on the grass,
 \q that do not wait for a man,
-\q and they do not wait for the children of mankind.
+\q2 and they do not wait for the children of mankind.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
-\q among many peoples,
+\q2 among many peoples,
 \q like a lion among the animals of the forest,
-\q like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.
+\q2 like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.
 \q When he goes through them,
-\q he will trample over them and tear them to pieces,
-\q and there will be no one to save them.
+\q2 he will trample over them and tear them to pieces,
+\q2 and there will be no one to save them.
 \q
 \v 9 Your hand will be lifted against your enemies,
-\q and it will destroy them.
+\q2 and it will destroy them.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 "It will happen in that day"—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q "that I will destroy your horses from among you
-\q and will demolish your chariots.
+\q2 "that I will destroy your horses from among you
+\q2 and will demolish your chariots.
 \q
 \v 11 I will destroy the cities in your land
-\q and throw down all your strongholds.
+\q2 and throw down all your strongholds.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 12 I will destroy the witchcraft in your hand,
-\q and you will no longer have any diviners.
+\q2 and you will no longer have any diviners.
 \q
 \v 13 I will destroy your carved figures
-\q and your stone pillars from among you.
-\q You will no longer worship the workmanship of your hands.
+\q2 and your stone pillars from among you.
+\q You will no longer worship
+\q2 the workmanship of your hands.
 \q
 \v 14 I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you,
-\q and I will destroy your cities.
+\q2 and I will destroy your cities.
 \q
 \v 15 I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath
-\q on the nations that have not listened."
+\q2 on the nations that have not listened."
 
 \s5
 \c 6
 \m
-\q
+\p
 \v 1 Now listen to what Yahweh says,
 \q "Arise and state your case before the mountains;
-\q let the hills hear your voice.
+\q2 let the hills hear your voice.
 \q
 \v 2 Hear, you mountains, Yahweh's accusation,
-\q you enduring foundations of the earth.
+\q2 you enduring foundations of the earth.
 \q For Yahweh has a lawsuit with his people,
-\q and he will fight in court against Israel.
+\q2 and he will fight in court against Israel.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 My people, what have I done to you?
-\q How have I wearied you?
-\q Answer me!
+\q2 How have I wearied you?  Answer me!
 \q
 \v 4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
-\q and rescued you out of the house of bondage.
-\q I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to you.
+\q2 and rescued you out of the house of bondage.
+\q I sent Moses, Aaron,
+\q2 and Miriam to you.
 \q
 \v 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
-\q and how Balaam son of Beor answered him
+\q2 and how Balaam son of Beor answered him
 \q as you went from Shittim to Gilgal,
-\q so you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh."
+\q2 so you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 6 What should I bring to Yahweh,
-\q as I bow down to God on high?
+\q2 as I bow down to God on high?
 \q Should I come to him with burnt offerings,
-\q with calves a year old?
+\q2 with calves a year old?
 \q
 \v 7 Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams,
-\q or with ten thousand rivers of oil?
+\q2 or with ten thousand rivers of oil?
 \q Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,
-\q the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
+\q2 the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
 \q
-\v 8 He has told you, man,
-\q what is good,
-\q and what Yahweh requires from you:
-\q Act justly,
-\q love kindness,
-\q and walk humbly with your God.
+\v 8 He has told you, man, what is good,
+\q2 and what Yahweh requires from you:
+\q Act justly, love kindness,
+\q2 and walk humbly with your God.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 The voice of Yahweh is making a proclamation to the city—
-\q even now wisdom fears your name:
-\q "Listen to the rod,
-\q and to the one who has put it in place. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text which were translated here read, \fqa Listen to the rod and to the one who has put it in place \fqa* , but some modern translations have \fqa Listen, tribe, and those assembled together in the city \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 even now wisdom fears your name:
+\q2 "Listen to the rod, and to the one who has put it in place. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text which were translated here read, \fqa Listen to the rod and to the one who has put it in place \fqa* , but some modern translations have \fqa Listen, tribe, and those assembled together in the city \fqa* . \f*
 \q
 \v 10 There is wealth in the houses of the wicked that is dishonest,
-\q and false measures that are abominable.
+\q2 and false measures that are abominable.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 Should I consider a person to be innocent if he uses fraudulent scales,
-\q with a bag of deceptive weights?
+\v 11 Should I consider a person to be innocent
+\q2 if he uses fraudulent scales,
+\q2 with a bag of deceptive weights?
 \q
 \v 12 The rich men are full of violence,
-\q the inhabitants have spoken lies,
-\q and their tongue in their mouth is deceitful.
+\q2 the inhabitants have spoken lies,
+\q2 and their tongue in their mouth is deceitful.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 13 Therefore I will make you sick, striking you down,
-\q making you desolate because of your sins.
+\q2 making you desolate because of your sins.
 \q
 \v 14 You will eat but not be satisfied;
-\q your emptiness will remain inside you.
+\q2 your emptiness will remain inside you.
 \q You will store goods away but not save,
-\q and what you do save I will give to the sword. \f + \ft Parts of this verse are difficult to understand, because in the copies of the ancient Hebrew text there are two Hebrew words in it whose meanings are not known. As a result, various other readings have been proposed by scholars and some modern translations follow those suggestions. \f*
+\q2 and what you do save I will give to the sword. \f + \ft Parts of this verse are difficult to understand, because in the copies of the ancient Hebrew text there are two Hebrew words in it whose meanings are not known. As a result, various other readings have been proposed by scholars and some modern translations follow those suggestions. \f*
 \q
 \v 15 You will sow but not reap;
-\q you will tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;
-\q you will press grapes but drink no wine.
+\q2 you will tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;
+\q2 you will press grapes but drink no wine.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 The statutes made by Omri have been kept,
-\q and all the deeds of the house of Ahab. \q You walk by their advice.
-\q So I will make you, city, a ruin,
-\q and you inhabitants an object of hissing,
-\q and you will bear the reproach of my people." \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa you will bear the reproach of my people \fqa* , but the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew copies reads: \fqa you will bear the scorn of the nations \fqa* and some modern translations are following that reading. \f*
+\v 16 You have observed the statutes of Omri,
+\q2 and all the works of the house of Ahab. 
+\q2 You have walked in their counsels,
+\q Therefore I will give you over to ruin
+\q2 and your inhabitants to derision,
+\q2 and you will bear the scorn of my people." \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa you will bear the reproach of my people \fqa* , but the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew copies reads: \fqa you will bear the scorn of the nations \fqa* and some modern translations are following that reading. \f*
 
 \s5
 \c 7
@@ -527,125 +554,127 @@
 \q
 \v 1 Woe is me!
 \q I have become like the gathering of summer fruit,
-\q and like the grapes that have been gleaned;
+\q2 and like the grapes that have been gleaned;
 \q there is no grape cluster to eat,
-\q no ripe early fig that my soul desires.
+\q2 no ripe early fig that my soul desires.
 \q
 \v 2 The faithful ones have vanished from the land;
-\q there is no upright person in all mankind.
+\q2 there is no upright person in all mankind.
 \q They all lie in wait to shed blood;
-\q each one hunts his own brother with a net.
+\q2 each one hunts his own brother with a net.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Their hands are very good at doing harm:
-\q the ruler asks for money,
-\q the judge is ready for bribes,
+\q2 the ruler asks for money,
+\q2 the judge is ready for bribes,
 \q and the powerful man is telling others of the desire of his soul.
-\q Thus they plot together.
+\q2 Thus they plot together.
 \q
 \v 4 The best of them is like a brier,
-\q the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.
+\q2 the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.
 \q It is the day foretold by your watchmen,
-\q the day of your punishment.
-\q Now is the time of their confusion.
+\q2 the day of your punishment.
+\q2 Now is the time of their confusion.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 5 Do not trust any neighbor;
-\q do not put confidence in any friend.
+\q2 do not put confidence in any friend.
 \q From even the woman who lies in your embrace
-\q guard the entrance to your mouth.
+\q2 guard the entrance to your mouth.
 \q
 \v 6 For a son dishonors his father,
-\q a daughter rises up against her mother,
+\q2 a daughter rises up against her mother,
 \q and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
-\q A man's enemies are the people of his own house.
+\q2 A man's enemies are the people of his own house.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
-\q I will wait for the God of my salvation;
-\q my God will hear me.
+\q2 I will wait for the God of my salvation;
+\q2 my God will hear me.
 \q
+\b
 \v 8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy.
-\q After I fall,
-\q I will rise.
+\q2 After I fall, I will rise.
 \q When I sit in darkness,
-\q Yahweh will be a light for me.
+\q2 Yahweh will be a light for me.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 Because I sinned against Yahweh,
-\q I will bear his rage
+\q2 I will bear his rage
 \q until he pleads my case
-\q and executes judgment for me.
+\q2 and executes judgment for me.
 \q He will bring me to the light,
-\q and I will see him rescue me in his justice.
+\q2 and I will see his righteousness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 Then my enemy will see it,
-\q and shame will cover the one who said to me,
-\q "Where is Yahweh your God?"
+\q2 and shame will cover the one who said to me,
+\q2 "Where is Yahweh your God?"
 \q My eyes will look at her;
-\q she will be trampled down like the mud in the streets.
+\q2 she will be trampled down like the mud in the streets.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 A day to build your walls will come;
-\q on that day the boundaries will be extended very far.
+\q2 on that day the boundaries will be extended very far.
 \q
 \v 12 On that day your people will come to you,
-\q from Assyria and the cities in Egypt,
+\q2 from Assyria and the cities in Egypt,
 \q from Egypt to the River,
-\q from sea to sea,
-\q and from mountain to mountain.
+\q2 from sea to sea,
+\q2 and from mountain to mountain.
 \q
 \v 13 But the land will be desolate
-\q because of the people who are living there,
-\q because of the fruit of their actions.
+\q2 because of the people who are living there,
+\q2 because of the fruit of their actions.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 Shepherd your people with your rod,
-\q the flock of your inheritance.
+\q2 the flock of your inheritance.
 \q They dwell alone in a thicket,
-\q in the midst of a pastureland.
+\q2 in the midst of a pastureland.
 \q Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
-\q as in the old days.
+\q2 as in the old days.
 \q
 \v 15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
-\q I will show them wonders.
-
+\q2 I will show them wonders.
 \s5
 \q
 \v 16 The nations will see and be ashamed
-\q of all their power.
+\q2 of all their power.
 \q They will put their hands on their mouths;
-\q their ears will be deaf.
+\q2 their ears will be deaf.
 \q
 \v 17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
-\q like creatures that crawl on the earth.
+\q2 like creatures that crawl on the earth.
 \q They will come out of their fortresses with fear;
-\q they will come with fear to you, Yahweh our God,
-\q and they will be afraid because of you.
+\q2 they will come with fear to you, Yahweh our God,
+\q2 and they will be afraid because of you.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 Who is a God like you—
-\q who takes away iniquity,
-\q who passes over the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
+\q2 who takes away iniquity, who passes over the transgression
+\q2 of the remnant of his inheritance?
 \q He does not keep his anger forever
-\q because he delights in his covenant faithfulness.
+\q2 because he delights in his covenant faithfulness.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 19 You will again have compassion on us;
-\q you will trample our iniquities under your feet.
-\q You will throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.
+\q2 you will trample our iniquities under your feet.
+\q2 You will throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.
 \q
 \v 20 You will give truth to Jacob
-\q and covenant faithfulness to Abraham,
-\q as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.
+\q2 and covenant faithfulness to Abraham,
+\q2 as you swore to our ancestors in ancient days.
 

34-NAM.usfm

@@ -13,200 +13,293 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 2 Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges; Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath;
-\q Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he continues his anger for his enemies.
+\v 2 Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges;
+\q2 Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath;
+\q Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries,
+\q2 and he continues his anger for his enemies.
 \q
-\v 3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power; he will not acquit the wicked.
-\q Yahweh makes his way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
+\v 3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power;
+\q2 he will not acquit the wicked.
+\q Yahweh makes his way in the whirlwind and the storm,
+\q2 and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers.
-\q Bashan is weak, and Carmel also; the flowers of Lebanon have become weak.
+\v 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
+\q2 he dries up all the rivers.
+\q Bashan is weak, and Carmel also;
+\q2 the flowers of Lebanon have become weak.
 \q
-\v 5 The mountains shake in his presence, and the hills melt;
-\q the earth collapses in his presence, indeed, the world and all people who live in it.
+\v 5 The mountains shake in his presence,
+\q2 and the hills melt;
+\q the earth collapses in his presence, indeed,
+\q2 the world and all people who live in it.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 Who can stand before his rage? Who can resist the fierceness of his anger?
-\q His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him.
+\v 6 Who can stand before his rage?
+\q2 Who can resist the fierceness of his anger?
+\q His wrath is poured out like fire,
+\q2 and the rocks are broken apart by him.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he acknowledges those who take refuge in him.
+\v 7 Yahweh is good,
+\q2 a stronghold in the day of trouble;
+\q2 and he acknowledges those who take refuge in him.
 \q
-\v 8 But he will make a full end to his enemies with an overwhelming flood; he will pursue them into darkness.
+\v 8 But he will make a full end to his enemies
+\q2 with an overwhelming flood;
+\q2 he will pursue them into darkness.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 What are you people plotting against Yahweh?
-\q He will make a full end to it; trouble will not rise up a second time.
+\q2 He will make a full end to it;
+\q2 trouble will not rise up a second time.
 \q
-\v 10 Like tangled thorns and like the drink of drunkards,
-\q they will be consumed like dry stubble.
+\v 10 Like tangled thorns
+\q2 and like the drink of drunkards,
+\q2 they will be consumed like dry stubble.
 \q
-\v 11 From you, Nineveh, has come out someone who plotted evil against Yahweh, a wicked counselor.
+\v 11 From you, Nineveh, has come out
+\q2 someone who plotted evil against Yahweh,
+\q2 a wicked counselor.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 12 This is what Yahweh says,
-\q "Even if they are at their full strength and full numbers, they will nevertheless be sheared;
-\q their people will pass away. But you, Judah: Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.
+\q "Even if they are at their full strength and full numbers,
+\q2 they will nevertheless be sheared; their people will pass away.
+\q But you, Judah: Though I have afflicted you,
+\q2 I will afflict you no more.
 \q
-\v 13 Now will I break that people's yoke from off you; I will break your chains."
+\v 13 Now will I break that people's yoke from off you;
+\q2 I will break your chains."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 14 Yahweh has given a command about you, Nineveh:
-\q "There will be no more descendants bearing your name.
-\q I will cut off the carved images and the cast metal figures from the houses of your gods.
-\q I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible."
+\q2 "There will be no more descendants bearing your name.
+\q I will cut off the carved images and the cast metal figures
+\q2 from the houses of your gods.
+\q I will prepare your grave,
+\q2 for you are contemptible."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 Look, on the mountains there are the feet of someone who is bringing good news, who is announcing peace!
-\q Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows,
-\q for the wicked one will invade you no more; he is completely cut off.
+\v 15 Look, on the mountains
+\q2 there are the feet of someone who is bringing good news,
+\q2 who is announcing peace!
+\q Celebrate your festivals, Judah,
+\q2 and fulfill your vows,
+\q for the wicked one will invade you no more;
+\q2 he is completely cut off.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 The one who scatters is coming up against you.
-\q Guard the city wall, watch the road,
-\q strengthen your loins, pull together all your strength.
+\q2 Guard the city wall, watch the road,
+\q2 strengthen your loins, pull together all your strength.
 \q
-\v 2 For Yahweh is restoring the majesty of Jacob, like the majesty of Israel,
-\q although the plunderers devastated them and destroyed their vine branches.
+\v 2 For Yahweh is restoring the majesty of Jacob
+\q2 like the majesty of Israel,
+\q although the plunderers devastated them
+\q2 and destroyed their vine branches.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 The shields of his mighty men are red, and the soldiers are clothed in scarlet;
-\q the chariots flash with their metal on the day that they are made ready, and the cypress spears are waved in the air.
+\v 3 The shields of his mighty men are red,
+\q2 and the soldiers are clothed in scarlet;
+\q the chariots flash with their metal
+\q2 on the day that they are made ready,
+\q2 and the cypress spears are waved in the air.
 \q
-\v 4 The chariots speed through the streets; they rush back and forth in the wide streets.
-\q They look like torches, and they run like lightning.
+\v 4 The chariots speed through the streets;
+\q2 they rush back and forth in the wide streets.
+\q They look like torches,
+\q2 and they run like lightning.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 He remembers his nobles; they stumble over each other in their march;
-\q they hurry to attack the city wall. The large shield is made ready to protect these attackers.
+\v 5 He remembers his nobles;
+\q2 they stumble over each other in their march;
+\q they hurry to attack the city wall.
+\q2 The large shield is made ready to protect these attackers.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 The gates at the rivers are forced open, and the palace collapses.
+\v 6 The gates at the rivers are forced open,
+\q2 and the palace collapses.
 \q
-\v 7 Huzzab is stripped and is taken away;
-\q her female servants moan like doves, beating on their breasts.
+\v 7 Huzzab is stripped
+\q2 and is taken away;
+\q her female servants moan like doves,
+\q2 beating on their breasts.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Nineveh is like a leaking pool of water, with its people fleeing away like rushing water.
-\q Others shout, "Stop, stop," but no one turns back.
+\v 8 Nineveh is like a leaking pool of water,
+\q2 with its people fleeing away like rushing water.
+\q Others shout, "Stop, stop,"
+\q2 but no one turns back.
 \q
-\v 9 Take the silver plunder, take the gold plunder, for there is no end to the treasure,
-\q to the splendor of all Nineveh's desirable things.
+\v 9 Take the silver plunder, take the gold plunder,
+\q2 for there is no end to the treasure,
+\q2 to the splendor of all Nineveh's desirable things.
 \q
-\v 10 Nineveh is empty; empty and devastated. Everyone's heart melts, everyone's knees strike together,
-\q and anguish is in all loins; their faces are all pale.
+\v 10 Nineveh is empty; empty and devastated.
+\q2 Everyone's heart melts, everyone's knees strike together,
+\q2 and anguish is in all loins; their faces are all pale.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 Where now is the lions' den, the place where the young lion cubs were fed,
-\q the place where the lion and lioness walked, with the cubs, where they were afraid of nothing?
+\v 11 Where now is the lions' den,
+\q2 the place where the young lion cubs were fed,
+\q the place where the lion and lioness walked,
+\q2 with the cubs, where they were afraid of nothing?
 \q
-\v 12 The lion tore his victims to pieces for his cubs; he strangled victims for his lionesses,
-\q and filled his cave with victims, his dens with torn carcasses.
+\v 12 The lion tore his victims to pieces for his cubs;
+\q2 he strangled victims for his lionesses,
+\q and filled his cave with victims,
+\q2 his dens with torn carcasses.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 "See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
-\q I will burn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions.
-\q I will cut off your prey from your land, and the voices of your messengers will be heard no more."
+\v 13 "See, I am against you—
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
+\q I will burn your chariots in the smoke,
+\q2 and the sword will devour your young lions.
+\q I will cut off your prey from your land,
+\q2 and the voices of your messengers will be heard no more."
 
 \s5
 \c 3
 \m
 \q
 \v 1 Woe to the city full of blood!
-\q It is all full of lies and stolen property; victims are always in her.
+\q2 It is all full of lies and stolen property;
+\q2 victims are always in her.
 \q
-\v 2 But now there is the noise of whips and the sound of rattling wheels,
-\q prancing horses, and bounding chariots.
+\v 2 But now there is the noise of whips
+\q2 and the sound of rattling wheels,
+\q2 prancing horses, and bounding chariots.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 There are attacking horsemen,
-\q flashing swords, glittering spears,
-\q heaps of slain, great piles of bodies.
-\q There is no end to the bodies; their attackers stumble over them.
+\v 3 Horsemen charging,
+\q2 flashing swords and glittering spears!
+\q Piles of the dead, bodies that could not be counted—
+\q2 their attackers stumble over the bodies.
 \q
-\v 4 This is happening because of the lustful actions of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft,
-\q who sells nations through her prostitution, and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.
+\v 4 This is happening because of the lustful actions
+\q2 of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft,
+\q who sells nations through her prostitution,
+\q2 and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 "See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will raise up your skirt over your face
-\q and show your private parts to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms.
+\v 5 "See, I am against you—
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—
+\q I will raise up your skirt over your face
+\q2 and show your private parts to the nations,
+\q2 your shame to the kingdoms.
 \q
-\v 6 I will throw disgusting filth on you and make you vile; I will set you up as a spectacle.
+\v 6 I will throw disgusting filth on you
+\q2 and make you vile;
+\q2 I will set you up as a spectacle.
 \q
-\v 7 It will come about that everyone who looks at you will flee from you and say,
+\v 7 It will come about that everyone who looks at you
+\q2 will flee from you and say,
 \q 'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?'
-\q Where can I go to find anyone to comfort you?"
+\q2 Where can I go to find anyone to comfort you?"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes, which was located on the Nile River, which had water around her,
-\q whose rampart was the sea, and the sea was its wall?
+\v 8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes,
+\q2 which was located on the Nile River,
+\q2 which had water around her,
+\q whose rampart was the sea,
+\q2 and the sea was its wall?
 \q
-\v 9 Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no end to it;
-\q Put and Libya were allies to her.
+\v 9 Cush and Egypt were her strength,
+\q2 and there was no end to it;
+\q2 Put and Libya were allies to her.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 Yet Thebes was carried away; she went into captivity;
-\q her young children were dashed in pieces at the head of every street;
+\v 10 Yet Thebes was carried away;
+\q2 she went into captivity;
+\q her young children were dashed in pieces
+\q2 at the head of every street;
 \q her enemies threw lots for her honorable men,
-\q and all her great men were bound in chains.
+\q2 and all her great men were bound in chains.
 \q
 \v 11 You also will become drunk; you will try to hide,
-\q and you also will look for a refuge from your enemy.
+\q2 and you also will look for a refuge from your enemy.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the earliest ripe figs:
-\q if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
+\v 12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees
+\q2 with the earliest ripe figs:
+\q if they are shaken,
+\q2 they fall into the mouth of the eater.
 \q
 \v 13 See, the people among you are women;
-\q the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies;
-\q fire has devoured their bars.
+\q2 the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies;
+\q2 fire has devoured their bars.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 Go draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses;
+\v 14 Go draw water for the siege;
+\q2 strengthen your fortresses;
 \q go into the clay and tread the mortar;
-\q pick up the molds for the bricks.
+\q2 pick up the molds for the bricks.
 \q
-\v 15 Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you. It will devour you as young locusts devour everything.
+\v 15 Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you.
+\q2 It will devour you as young locusts devour everything.
 \p
-\q Make yourselves as many as the young locusts, as many as the full-grown locusts.
+\q Make yourselves as many as the young locusts,
+\q2 as many as the full-grown locusts.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars in the heavens; but they are like young locusts: they plunder the land and then fly away.
+\v 16 You have multiplied your merchants
+\q2 more than the stars in the heavens;
+\q but they are like young locusts:
+\q2 they plunder the land and then fly away.
 \q
-\v 17 Your princes are like locust swarms, and your commanders are like locusts
-\q that camp in the walls on a cold day.
-\q But when the sun rises they flee, and the place they go to is not known.
+\v 17 Your princes are like locust swarms,
+\q2 and your commanders are like locusts
+\q2 that camp in the walls on a cold day.
+\q But when the sun rises they flee,
+\q2 and the place they go to is not known.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep; your nobles are lying down resting.
-\q Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
+\v 18 King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep;
+\q2 your nobles are lying down resting.
+\q Your people are scattered on the mountains,
+\q2 and there is no one to gather them.
 \q
-\v 19 No healing is possible for your wounds. Your wounds are severe.
-\q Everyone who hears the news about you will clap their hands in joy over you.
-\q On whom has your wickedness not trodden continually?
+\v 19 No healing is possible for your wounds.
+\q2 Your wounds are severe.
+\q Everyone who hears the news about you
+\q2 will clap their hands in joy over you.
+\q On whom has your wickedness
+\q2 not trodden continually?
 

35-HAB.usfm

@@ -10,157 +10,223 @@
 \c 1
 \m
 \p
-\v 1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet perceived,
+\v 1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
 \q
-\v 2 "Yahweh, how long will I cry for help, and you will not hear?
-\q I cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you will not save.
+\v 2 "Yahweh, how long will I cry for help,
+\q2 and you will not hear?
+\q I cry out to you, 'Violence!'
+\q2 but you will not save.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Why do you make me see iniquity and cause me to look upon wrongdoing?
-\q Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention rises up.
+\v 3 Why do you make me see iniquity
+\q2 and cause me to look upon wrongdoing?
+\q Destruction and violence are before me;
+\q2 there is strife, and contention rises up.
 \q
-\v 4 Therefore the law is weakened, and justice does not last for any time.
-\q For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore twisted justice goes out."
+\v 4 Therefore the law is weakened,
+\q2 and justice does not last for any time.
+\q For the wicked surround the righteous;
+\q2 therefore twisted justice goes out."
 
 \s5
 \m
-\s2 Yahweh replies to Habakkuk
+\p
 \q
-\v 5 "Look at the nations and observe them; be amazed and astonished!
-\q For I am surely about to do something in your days that you will not believe when it is reported to you.
+\v 5 "Look at the nations and observe them;
+\q2 be amazed and astonished!
+\q For I am surely about to do something in your days
+\q2 that you will not believe when it is reported to you.
 \q
-\v 6 For look! I am about to raise up the Chaldeans—that fierce and impetuous nation—
-\q they are marching throughout the breadth of the land to seize homes that were not their own.
+\v 6 For look! I am about to raise up the Chaldeans—
+\q2 that fierce and impetuous nation—
+\q they are marching throughout the breadth of the land
+\q2 to seize homes that were not their own.
 \q
-\v 7 They are terrifying and fearsome; their judgment and splendor proceed from themselves.
+\v 7 They are terrifying and fearsome;
+\q2 their judgment and splendor proceed from themselves.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, quicker than the evening wolves.
+\v 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
+\q2 quicker than the evening wolves.
 \q So their horses stamp,
-\q and their horsemen come from a great distance—they fly like an eagle hurrying to eat.
+\q2 and their horsemen come from a great distance—
+\q2 they fly like an eagle hurrying to eat.
 \q
 \v 9 They all come for violence;
-\q their multitudes go like the desert wind, and they gather captives like sand. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text are translated here, \fqa their multitudes go like the desert wind \fqa* ; this is a difficult passage to translate, and it is translated in different ways in modern translations. \f*
+\q2 their multitudes go like the desert wind
+\q2 and they gather captives like sand. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text are translated here, \fqa their multitudes go like the desert wind \fqa* ; this is a difficult passage to translate, and it is translated in different ways in modern translations. \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 So they mock kings, and rulers are only a mockery for them.
-\q They laugh at every stronghold, for they heap up earth and seize it.
+\v 10 So they mock kings,
+\q2 and rulers are only a mockery for them.
+\q They laugh at every stronghold,
+\q2 for they heap up earth and seize it.
 \q
-\v 11 Then the wind will rush on; it will move past—guilty men, those whose might is their god."
+\v 11 Then the wind will rush on;
+\q2 it will move past—
+\q2 guilty men, those whose might is their god."
 
 \s5
 \m
-\s2 Habakkuk asks Yahweh another question
+\p
 \q
-\v 12 "Are you not from ancient times, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die.
-\q Yahweh has ordained them for judgment, and you, Rock, have established them for correction.
+\v 12 "Are you not from ancient times,
+\q2 Yahweh my God, my Holy One?
+\q2 We will not die.
+\q Yahweh has ordained them for judgment,
+\q2 and you, Rock, have established them for correction.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil, and you are not able to look on wrongdoing with favor;
-\q why then have you looked favorably on those who betray?
-\q Why are you silent while the wicked devour those more righteous than they are?
+\v 13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil,
+\q2 and you are not able to look on wrongdoing with favor.
+\q Why then have you looked favorably on those who betray?
+\q2 Why are you silent while the wicked devour
+\q2 those more righteous than they are?
 \q
-\v 14 You make men like fish in the sea, like creeping things without a ruler over them.
+\v 14 You make men like fish in the sea,
+\q2 like creeping things without a ruler over them.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 He brings all of them up with a fishhook;
-\q he drags men away in his fishnet;
+\q2 he drags men away in his fishnet;
 \q he gathers them together in his dragnet;
-\q so he rejoices and he is glad.
+\q2 so he rejoices and he is glad.
 \q
 \v 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
-\q and burns incense to his dragnet,
+\q2 and burns incense to his dragnet,
 \q for by his net he lives in luxury,
-\q and his food is the richest kind.
+\q2 and his food is the richest kind.
 \q
 \v 17 Will he therefore keep emptying his net,
-\q and will he continually slaughter the nations without mercy?"
+\q2 and will he continually slaughter the nations without mercy?"
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \q
-\v 1 I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the watchtower,
+\v 1 I will stand at my guard post
+\q2 and station myself on the watchtower,
 \q and I will watch carefully to see what he will say to me
-\q and how I should turn from my complaint. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa how I should turn from my complaint \fqa* , which is the reading of the copies of the Hebrew text, some modern translations have \fqa how I should answer when he replies to my complaint \fqa* or \fqa how I should answer when he rebukes me \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 and how I should turn from my complaint. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa how I should turn from my complaint \fqa* , which is the reading of the copies of the Hebrew text, some modern translations have \fqa how I should answer when he replies to my complaint \fqa* or \fqa how I should answer when he rebukes me \fqa* . \f*
+\b
 
 \s5
-\m
+\p
 \v 2 Yahweh answered me and said,
-\q "Record this vision, and write plainly on the tablets so that the one reading them might run.
+\q "Record this vision,
+\q2 and write plainly on the tablets
+\q2 so that the one reading them might run.
 \q
-\v 3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time and will testify and not fail.
-\q Though it delays, wait for it. For it will surely come and will not tarry.
+\v 3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time
+\q2 and will testify and not fail.
+\q Though it delays, wait for it.
+\q2 For it will surely come and will not tarry.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 Look! The one whose desires are not right within him is puffed up. But the righteous will live by his faith.
+\v 4 Look! The one whose desires are not right within him
+\q2 is puffed up.
+\q2 But the righteous will live by his faith.
 \m
 \q
-\v 5 Indeed, as wine is treacherous, even so an arrogant man does not stay at home.
-\q He has made his throat as wide as Sheol; and like death, he is never satisfied.
-\q He has gathered together all the nations, and he has assembled to himself all the people.
+\v 5 Indeed, as wine is treacherous,
+\q2 even so an arrogant man does not stay at home.
+\q He has made his throat as wide as Sheol;
+\q2 and like death, he is never satisfied.
+\q He has gathered together all the nations,
+\q2 and he has assembled to himself all the people.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\q
+\p
 \v 6 Will all these not take up a proverb and mockery, riddles about him, saying,
-\q 'Woe to the one increasing what is not his! For how long will you increase the weight of the pledges you have taken?'
-\q2
-\v 7 Will the ones biting at you not rise up suddenly, and the ones terrifying you awaken?
+\q 'Woe to the one increasing
+\q2 what is not his!
+\q For how long will you increase 
+\q2 the weight of the pledges you have taken?'
+\q
+\v 7 Will the ones biting at you not rise up suddenly,
+\q2 and the ones terrifying you awaken?
 \q2 You will become a victim for them.
-\q2
-\v 8 Because you have plundered many peoples, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you.
-\q2 For you have shed human blood and acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.
+\q
+\v 8 Because you have plundered many peoples,
+\q2 all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you.
+\q For you have shed human blood
+\q2 and acted with violence against the land,
+\q2 the cities, and all who live in them.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 'Woe to the one who gets evil gains for his house,
-\q2 so he can set his nest on high to deliver himself from the hand of evil.'
-\q2
-\v 10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many people, and have sinned against your life.
-\q2
-\v 11 For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters of timber will answer them,
+\q2 so he can set his nest on high
+\q2 to deliver himself from the hand of evil.'
+\q
+\v 10 You have devised shame for your house
+\q2 by cutting off many people,
+\q2 and have sinned against your life.
+\q
+\v 11 For the stones will cry out from the wall,
+\q2 and the rafters of timber will answer them,
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 'Woe to the one who builds a city with blood, and who establishes a town in iniquity.'
-\q2
+\v 12 'Woe to the one who builds a city with blood,
+\q2 and who establishes a town in iniquity.'
+\q
 \v 13 Is it not from Yahweh of hosts
-\q2 that peoples labor for fire, and nations weary themselves in vain?
-\q2
-\v 14 Yet the land will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.
+\q2 that peoples labor for fire,
+\q2 and nations weary themselves in vain?
+\q
+\v 14 Yet the land will be filled
+\q2 with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh
+\q2 as the waters cover the sea.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 'Woe to the one who forces his neighbors to drink—
-\q you express your anger \f + \ft There is some question about whether the Hebrew should be translated as \fqa anger \fqa* or as \fqa wineskin \fqa* . \f* over and you make them drunk
-\q in order to look at their nakedness.'
-\q2
+\q2 you express your anger \f + \ft There is some question about whether the Hebrew should be translated as \fqa you express your anger \fqa* or as \fqa you pour from your wineskin \fqa* . \f* and you make them drunk
+\q2 in order to look at their nakedness.'
+\q
 \v 16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
-\q Now it is your turn! Drink, and you will expose your uncircumcised foreskin!
+\q2 Now it is your turn!
+\q Drink, and you will expose your uncircumcised foreskin!
 \q2 The cup in Yahweh's right hand is coming around to you,
 \q2 and disgrace will cover your glory.
 
 \s5
-\q2
-\v 17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you and the devastation of animals will terrify you.
-\q2 For you have shed the blood of man and you have acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.
+\q
+\v 17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you
+\q2 and the devastation of animals will terrify you.
+\q For you have shed the blood of man
+\q2 and you have acted with violence 
+\q2 against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 What profit is there in a carved image? For a carver has carved it!
+\v 18 What profit is there in a carved image?
+\q2 For a carver has carved it!
 \q Or a cast metal figure, a teacher of lies?
-\q For the maker trusts in what he has made
-\q when he makes these worthless idols.
+\q2 For the maker trusts in what he has made
+\q2 when he makes these worthless idols.
 \q
-\v 19 'Woe to the one saying to the wood, Wake up! Or to the silent stone, Arise!' Do these things teach?
-\q See, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all within it.
+\v 19 Woe to the one saying to the wood, 'Wake up!
+\q2 or to the silent stone, 'Arise!'
+\q Do these things teach?
+\q2 See, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
+\q2 but there is no breath at all within it.
+\b 
 \q
-\v 20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple! Be silent before him, all the land."
+\v 20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple!
+\q2 Be silent before him, all the land."
 
 \s5
 \c 3
@@ -168,91 +234,121 @@
 \p
 \v 1 The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text add the expression \fqa on shigionoth \fqa* , which may refer to musical directions for singers. \f*
 \q
-\v 2 Yahweh, I have heard your report, and I am afraid.
-\q Yahweh, revive your work in the midst of these times; in the midst of these years make it known;
-\q remember to have compassion in your wrath.
+\v 2 Yahweh, I have heard your report, 
+\q2 and I am afraid.
+\q2 Yahweh, revive your work in the midst of these times;
+\q in the midst of these years make it known;
+\q2 remember to have compassion in your wrath.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.
+\v 3 God came from Teman,
+\q2 and the Holy One from Mount Paran.
 \qs Selah\qs*
-\q His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
+\q His glory covered the heavens,
+\q2 and the earth was full of his praise.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 With brightness like the light, two-pronged rays flash from his hand;
-\q and there he hid his power.
+\v 4 With brightness like the light,
+\q2 two-pronged rays flash from his hand;
+\q2 and there he hid his power.
 \q
 \v 5 Deadly disease went before him,
-\q and the plague came out at his feet.
+\q2 and the plague came out at his feet.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations.
-\q Even the eternal mountains were shattered, and the everlasting hills bowed down.
-\q His path is everlasting.
+\v 6 He stood and measured the earth;
+\q2 he looked and shook the nations.
+\q Even the eternal mountains were shattered,
+\q2 and the everlasting hills bowed down.
+\q2 His path is everlasting.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, and the fabric of the tents in the land of Midian trembling.
+\v 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction,
+\q2 and the fabric of the tents in the land of Midian trembling.
+\b 
+
 \q
-\v 8 Was Yahweh angry at the rivers? Was your wrath against the rivers,
-\q or your fury against the sea,
-\q when you rode upon your horses and your victorious chariots?
+\v 8 Was Yahweh angry at the rivers?
+\q2 Was your wrath against the rivers,
+\q2 or your fury against the sea,
+\q when you rode upon your horses
+\q2 and your victorious chariots?
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 You have brought out your bow without a cover; you put arrows to your bow!
+\v 9 You have brought out your bow without a cover;
+\q2 you put arrows to your bow!
 \qs Selah\qs*
 \q You divided the earth with rivers.
-\q
+\q2
 \v 10 The mountains saw you and twisted in pain.
-\q Downpours of water passed over them; the deep sea raised a shout.
-\q It lifted up its hands.
+\q Downpours of water passed over them;
+\q2 the deep sea raised a shout.
+\q2 It lifted up its hands.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 The sun and moon stood still in their high places
-\q at the flash of your arrows as they fly,
-\q at the lightning of your flashing spear.
+\q2 at the flash of your arrows as they fly,
+\q2 at the lightning of your flashing spear.
 \q
-\v 12 You have marched over the earth with indignation. In wrath you have threshed the nations.
+\v 12 You have marched over the earth with indignation.
+\q2 In wrath you have threshed the nations.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed one.
-\q You shatter the head of the house of the wicked to lay bare from the base up to the neck.
+\v 13 You went out for the salvation of your people,
+\q2 for the salvation of your anointed one.
+\q You shatter the head of the house of the wicked
+\q2 to lay bare from the base up to the neck.
 \qs Selah\qs*
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 You have pierced the head of his warriors with his own spears since they came like a storm to scatter us;
-\q their gloating was like one who devours the poor in a hiding place.
+\v 14 You have pierced the head of his warriors
+\q2 with his own spears since they came
+\q2 like a storm to scatter us;
+\q their gloating was like one 
+\q2 who devours the poor in a hiding place.
 \q
-\v 15 You have trampled on the sea with your horses, and heaped up the great waters.
+\v 15 You have trampled on the sea with your horses,
+\q2 and heaped up the great waters.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 16 I heard, and my inner parts trembled! My lips quivered at the sound.
-\q Decay comes into my bones, and under myself I tremble
-\q as I wait quietly for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
+\v 16 I heard, and my inner parts trembled!
+\q2 My lips quivered at the sound.
+\q Decay comes into my bones,
+\q2 and under myself I tremble
+\q as I wait quietly for the day of distress
+\q2 to come upon the people who invade us.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 Though the fig tree does not bud
 \q2 and there is no produce from the vines;
-\q2 and though the produce of the olive tree disappoints
+\q and though the produce of the olive tree disappoints
 \q2 and the fields produce no food;
-\q2 and though the flock is cut off from the fold
-\q2 and there are no cattle in the stalls, this is what I will do.
+\q and though the flock is cut off from the fold
+\q2 and there are no cattle in the stalls,
+\q2 this is what I will do.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 Still, I will rejoice in Yahweh.
 \q2 I will be joyful because of the God of my salvation.
+\b
+
 \q
 \v 19 The Lord Yahweh is my strength
 \q2 and he makes my feet like the deer's.
-\q2 He makes me go forward on my high places.
+\q He makes me go forward on my high places.
 \q3 —To the music director, on my stringed instruments.
 

36-ZEP.usfm

@@ -10,224 +10,344 @@
 \c 1
 \p
 \v 1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
+\b 
 \q
-\v 2 "I will utterly destroy everything from off the surface of the earth—this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\v 2 "I will utterly destroy everything 
+\q2 from off the surface of the earth—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \q
-\v 3 I will destroy men and animals; I will destroy the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
-\q the ruins along with the wicked.
-\q For I will cut off man from the surface of the earth—this is Yahweh's declaration.
-
+\v 3 I will destroy men and animals; 
+\q2 I will destroy the birds of the heavens 
+\q2 and the fish of the sea,
+\q2 the ruins along with the wicked.
+\b
+\q For I will cut off man 
+\q2 from the surface of the earth—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 I will reach out with my hand over Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
-\q I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place and the names of the idolatrous people among the priests,
+\v 4 I will reach out with my hand over Judah 
+\q2 and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
+\q I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place 
+\q2 and the names of the idolatrous people among the priests,
 \q
-\v 5 the people who on the housetops worship the heavenly bodies,
-\q and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh but who also swear by their king. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa by their king \fqa* , but some modern translations read \fqa by Milcom \fqa* , the name of a pagan god that many people worshiped. \f*
+\v 5 the people who on the housetops 
+\q2 worship the heavenly bodies,
+\q and the people who worship and swear to Yahweh 
+\q2 but who also swear by their king. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have \fqa by their king \fqa* , but some modern translations read \fqa by Milcom \fqa* , the name of a pagan god that many people worshiped. \f*
 \q
-\v 6 I will also cut off those who have turned away from following Yahweh, those who neither seek Yahweh nor ask for his guidance."
-
+\v 6 I will also cut off those who have turned away from following Yahweh, 
+\q2 those who neither seek Yahweh nor ask for his guidance."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 Be silent before the Lord Yahweh! For the day of Yahweh is near;
-\q Yahweh has prepared the sacrifice and set apart his guests.
+\v 7 Be silent before the Lord Yahweh! 
+\q2 For the day of Yahweh is near;
+\q Yahweh has prepared the sacrifice 
+\q2 and set apart his guests.
+\b
 \q
 \v 8 "It will come about on the day of Yahweh's sacrifice,
-\q that I will punish the princes and the king's sons,
-\q and everyone dressed in foreign clothes.
+\q2 that I will punish the princes 
+\q2 and the king's sons,
+\q and everyone dressed 
+\q2 in foreign clothes.
 \q
-\v 9 On that day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold,
-\q those who fill their master's house with violence and deceit.
-
+\v 9 On that day I will punish 
+\q2 all those who leap over the threshold,
+\q those who fill their master's house 
+\q2 with violence and deceit.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 So it will be on that day—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q that a cry of distress will come from the Fish Gate, wailing from the Second District,
-\q and a great crashing sound from the hills.
+\v 10 So it will be on that day—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\q that a cry of distress will come from the Fish Gate, 
+\q2 wailing from the Second District,
+\q2 and a great crashing sound from the hills.
 \q
 \v 11 Wail, inhabitants of the Market District,
-\q for all the people of Canaan will be ruined; all those who weigh out silver will be cut off.
-
+\q2 for all the people of Canaan will be ruined; 
+\q2 all those who weigh out silver will be cut off.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 It will come about at that time that
-\q I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men
-\q who have settled into their wine and say in their heart,
-\q 'Yahweh will not do anything, either good or evil.'
+\v 12 It will come about at that time
+\q2 that I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men
+\q2 who have settled into their wine and say in their heart,
+\q 'Yahweh will not do anything, 
+\q2 either good or evil.'
 \q
-\v 13 Their wealth will become plunder, and their houses will be an abandoned devastation!
-\q They will build houses but not live in them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.
-
+\v 13 Their wealth will become plunder, 
+\q2 and their houses will be an abandoned devastation!
+\q They will build houses but not live in them, 
+\q2 and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 The great day of Yahweh is near, near and hurrying quickly!
-\q The sound of the day of Yahweh will be that of a warrior crying bitterly!
+\v 14 The great day of Yahweh is near, 
+\q2 near and hurrying quickly!
+\q The sound of the day of Yahweh 
+\q2 will be that of a warrior crying bitterly!
 \q
-\v 15 That day will be a day of fury, a day of distress and anguish,
-\q a day of storm and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom,
-\q a day of clouds and thick darkness.
+\v 15 That day will be a day of fury, 
+\q2 a day of distress and anguish,
+\q2 a day of storm and devastation, 
+\q a day of darkness and gloom,
+\q2 a day of clouds 
+\q2 and thick darkness.
 \q
 \v 16 It will be a day of rams' horns and alarms
-\q against the fortified cities and the high battlements.
-
+\q2 against the fortified cities 
+\q2 and the high battlements.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17 For I will bring distress upon mankind, so that they will walk about like blind men
-\q since they have sinned against Yahweh.
-\q Their blood will be poured out like dust, and their inner parts like dung.
+\v 17 For I will bring distress upon mankind, 
+\q2 so that they will walk about like blind men
+\q2 since they have sinned against Yahweh.
+\q Their blood will be poured out like dust, 
+\q2 and their inner parts like dung.
 \q
-\v 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them
-\q on the day of Yahweh's fury. In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed,
-\q for he will bring a complete, a terrible end of all the inhabitants of the earth."
-
+\v 18 Neither their silver nor their gold 
+\q2 will be able to deliver them
+\q2 on the day of Yahweh's fury. 
+\b
+\q In the fire of his jealousy 
+\q2 the whole earth will be consumed,
+\q for he will bring a complete, 
+\q2 a terrible end of all the inhabitants of the earth."
 \s5
 \c 2
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 Rally yourselves together and gather, unashamed nation—
+\v 1 Rally yourselves together and gather, 
+\q2 unashamed nation—
 \q
-\v 2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes like the chaff,
-\q before the fierce anger of Yahweh's wrath comes upon you, before the day of Yahweh's wrath comes upon you.
+\v 2 before the decree takes effect 
+\q2 and that day passes like the chaff,
+\q before the fierce anger of Yahweh's wrath 
+\q2 comes upon you, 
+\q before the day of Yahweh's wrath 
+\q2 comes upon you.
 \q
-\v 3 Seek Yahweh, all you humble people on earth who obey his ordinances!
+\v 3 Seek Yahweh, all you humble people on earth 
+\q2 who obey his ordinances!
 \q Seek righteousness. Seek humility,
-\q and perhaps you will be protected in the day of Yahweh's wrath.
-
+\q2 and perhaps you will be protected 
+\q2 in the day of Yahweh's wrath.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will turn into a devastation.
-\q They will drive out Ashdod at noon, and they will uproot Ekron!
+\v 4 For Gaza will be abandoned, 
+\q2 and Ashkelon will turn into a devastation.
+\q They will drive out Ashdod at noon, 
+\q2 and they will uproot Ekron!
 \q
-\v 5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Kerethites! Yahweh has spoken against you,
-\q Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you until no inhabitant remains.
-
+\v 5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, 
+\q2 the nation of the Kerethites! 
+\q Yahweh has spoken against you,
+\q2 Canaan, land of the Philistines. 
+\q I will destroy you 
+\q2 until no inhabitant remains.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 So the seacoast will become pastures for shepherds and for sheep pens.
+\v 6 So the seacoast will become pastures 
+\q2 for shepherds 
+\q2 and for sheep pens.
 \q
-\v 7 The coastal region will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah,
-\q who will shepherd their flocks there. Their people will lie down in the evening in the houses of Ashkelon,
-\q for Yahweh their God will care for them and reverse their captivity.
-
+\v 7 The coastal region will belong 
+\q2 to the remnant of the house of Judah,
+\q2 who will shepherd their flocks there. 
+\q Their people will lie down in the evening 
+\q2 in the houses of Ashkelon,
+\q for Yahweh their God will care for them 
+\q2 and reverse their captivity.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 "I have heard the taunts of Moab and the reviling of the people of Ammon
-\q when they taunted my people and violated their borders.
+\v 8 "I have heard the taunts of Moab 
+\q2 and the insults of the people of Ammon
+\q when they taunted my people 
+\q2 and violated their borders.
 \q
-\v 9 Therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel—
-\q Moab will become like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah;
-\q a place of nettles and a salt pit, deserted forever.
-\q But the remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remainder of my nation will take possession of them."
-
-\s5
-\p
-\v 10 This will happen to Moab and Ammon because of their pride, since they taunted and became arrogant against the people of Yahweh of hosts.
-\v 11 Then Yahweh will be terrifying to them, for he will destroy all the gods of the earth. Everyone will bow down to him, each from his own place, from the coastlands of all nations.
-
+\v 9 Therefore, as I live—
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts, 
+\q2 God of Israel—
+\q Moab will become like Sodom, 
+\q2 and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah;
+\q a place of nettles and a salt pit, 
+\q2 deserted forever.
+\q But the remnant of my people will plunder them, 
+\q2 and the remainder of my nation will take possession of them."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 You Cushites also will be pierced by my sword,
-\q
-\v 13 and God's hand will attack the north and destroy Assyria,
-\q so that Nineveh will become an abandoned devastation, as dry as the desert.
-\q
-\v 14 Then herds will lie down there, every animal of the nations;
-\q both the desert owl and the screech owl will rest in the top of her columns.
-\q A call will sing out from the windows; rubble will be in the doorways; her carved cedar beams will be exposed.
-
+\v 10 This will happen to Moab and Ammon because of their pride, 
+\q2 since they taunted and became arrogant 
+\q2 against the people of Yahweh of hosts.
+\q 
+\v 11 Then Yahweh will be terrifying to them, 
+\q2 for he will destroy all the gods of the earth. 
+\q Everyone will bow down to him, 
+\q2 each from his own place, 
+\q2 from the coastlands of all nations.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 This is the joyful city that lived without fear,
-\q that said in her heart, "I am, and nothing is my equal."
-\q How she has become a horror, a place for beasts to lie down in.
-\q Everyone that passes by her will hiss and shake his fist at her.
-
+\v 12 You Cushites also 
+\q2 will be pierced by my sword,
+\q
+\v 13 and God's hand will attack the north 
+\q2 and destroy Assyria,
+\q so that Nineveh will become an abandoned devastation, 
+\q2 as dry as the desert.
+\q
+\v 14 Then herds will lie down there, 
+\q2 every animal of the nations;
+\q both the desert owl and the screech owl 
+\q2 will rest in the top of her columns.
+\q A call will sing out from the windows; 
+\q2 rubble will be in the doorways; 
+\q2 her carved cedar beams will be exposed.
+\s5
+\q
+\v 15 This is the joyful city 
+\q2 that lived without fear,
+\q that said in her heart, 
+\q2 "I am, and nothing is my equal."
+\q How she has become a horror, 
+\q2 a place for beasts to lie down in.
+\q Everyone that passes by her 
+\q2 will hiss and shake his fist at her.
 \s5
 \c 3
 \m
 \q
-\v 1 Woe to the rebellious city! The violent city is defiled.
+\v 1 Woe to the rebellious city! 
+\q2 The violent city is defiled.
 \q
-\v 2 She has not listened to the voice of God, nor accepted correction from Yahweh.
-\q She does not trust in Yahweh and will not approach her God.
-
+\v 2 She has not listened to the voice of God, 
+\q2 nor accepted correction from Yahweh.
+\q She does not trust in Yahweh 
+\q2 and will not approach her God.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 3 Her princes are roaring lions in her midst.
-\q Her judges are evening wolves who leave nothing to be gnawed upon in the morning.
+\v 3 Her princes are roaring lions 
+\q2 in her midst.
+\q Her judges are evening wolves 
+\q2 who leave nothing to be gnawed upon in the morning.
 \q
-\v 4 Her prophets are insolent and treasonous men.
-\q Her priests have profaned what is holy and have done violence to the law.
-
+\v 4 Her prophets are insolent 
+\q2 and treasonous men.
+\q Her priests have profaned what is holy 
+\q2 and have done violence to the law.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 5 Yahweh is righteous in her midst. He can do no wrong.
-\q Morning by morning he will dispense his justice! It will not be hidden in the light, yet the unjust knows no shame.
-
+\v 5 Yahweh is righteous in her midst. 
+\q2 He can do no wrong.
+\q Morning by morning he will dispense his justice! 
+\q2 It will not be hidden in the light, 
+\q2 yet the unjust knows no shame.
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 6 "I have destroyed nations; their fortresses are ruined.
-\q I have made their streets ruins, so that no one passes over them.
-\q Their cities are destroyed so that there is no man inhabiting them.
+\v 6 "I have destroyed nations; 
+\q2 their fortresses are ruined.
+\q I have made their streets ruins, 
+\q2 so that no one passes over them.
+\q Their cities are destroyed 
+\q2 so that there is no man inhabiting them.
 \q
-\v 7 I said, 'Surely you will fear me. Accept correction
-\q and do not be cut off from your homes by all that I have planned to do to you.'
-\q But they were eager to begin each morning by corrupting all their deeds.
-
+\v 7 I said, 'Surely you will fear me. 
+\q2 Accept correction
+\q and do not be cut off from your homes 
+\q2 by all that I have planned to do to you.'
+\q But they were eager to begin each morning 
+\q2 by corrupting all their deeds.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 8 Therefore wait for me—this is Yahweh's declaration—until the day that I rise up to seize the prey.
-\q For my decision is to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms,
-\q to pour out on them my anger—all of my burning wrath;
-\q for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth will be consumed. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, \fqa until the day that I rise up to seize the prey \fqa* . However, some of the copies of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew copies, and modern translations that follow those suggestions, read, \fqa until the day that I rise up as a witness \fqa* . \f*
-
+\v 8 Therefore wait for me—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration—
+\q2 until the day that I rise up to seize the prey.
+\q For my decision is to assemble the nations, 
+\q2 to gather the kingdoms,
+\q to pour out on them my anger—
+\q2 all of my burning wrath;
+\q for in the fire of my jealousy 
+\q2 all the earth will be consumed. \f + \ft The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, \fqa until the day that I rise up to seize the prey \fqa* . However, some of the copies of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew copies, and modern translations that follow those suggestions, read, \fqa until the day that I rise up as a witness \fqa* . \f*
+\b
 \s5
 \q
 \v 9 But then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
-\q that all of them may call upon the name of Yahweh to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
+\q2 that all of them may call upon the name of Yahweh 
+\q2 to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
 \q
-\v 10 From beyond the river of Cush my worshipers—my scattered people—will bring offerings due me.
+\v 10 From beyond the river of Cush 
+\q2 my worshipers—my scattered people—
+\q2 will bring offerings due me.
 \q
-\v 11 In that day you will not be put to shame for all your deeds by which you rebelled against me,
-\q since at that time I will remove from among you those who boasted in your pride,
-\q and because you will no longer act arrogantly on my holy mountain.
-
+\v 11 In that day you will not be put to shame 
+\q2 for all your deeds by which you rebelled against me,
+\q since at that time I will remove from among you 
+\q2 those who boasted in your pride,
+\q and because you will no longer act arrogantly 
+\q2 on my holy mountain.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 12 But I will leave among you a lowly and poor people,
-\q and they will find refuge in the name of Yahweh.
+\v 12 But I will leave among you 
+\q2 a lowly and poor people,
+\q and they will find refuge 
+\q2 in the name of Yahweh.
 \q
-\v 13 The remnant of Israel will no longer commit injustice or speak lies,
-\q and no deceitful tongue will be found in their mouth;
-\q so they will graze and lie down, and no one will make them afraid."
-
+\v 13 The remnant of Israel will no longer 
+\q2 commit injustice or speak lies,
+\q and no deceitful tongue 
+\q2 will be found in their mouth;
+\q so they will graze and lie down, 
+\q2 and no one will make them afraid."
+\b
 \s5
 \q
-\v 14 Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel.
-\q Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
+\v 14 Sing, daughter of Zion! 
+\q2 Shout, Israel.
+\q Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, 
+\q2 daughter of Jerusalem.
 \q
-\v 15 Yahweh has taken away your punishment; he has turned away your enemies!
-\q Yahweh is the king of Israel among you. You will never again fear evil!
+\v 15 Yahweh has taken away your punishment; 
+\q2 he has turned away your enemies!
+\q Yahweh is the king of Israel among you. 
+\q2 You will never again fear evil!
 \q
-\v 16 In that day they will say to Jerusalem,
-\q "Do not fear, Zion. Do not let your hands become weak.
-
+\v 16 In that day 
+\q2 they will say to Jerusalem,
+\q "Do not fear, Zion. 
+\q2 Do not let your hands become weak.
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17 Yahweh your God is among you, a mighty one to save you.
-\q He will celebrate over you with joy; he will be silent over you in his love;
-\q he will be glad over you with a shout for joy.
+\v 17 Yahweh your God is among you, 
+\q2 a mighty one to save you.
+\q He will celebrate over you with joy; 
+\q2 he will be silent over you in his love;
+\q2 he will be glad over you with a shout for joy.
+\b
 \q
-\v 18 I will gather those who grieve, those who cannot attend the appointed feasts,
-\q so you will no longer bear any shame for it. \f + \ft This verse is very difficult to understand, and modern translations translate it in many different ways. \f*
-
+\v 18 I will gather those who grieve, 
+\q2 those who cannot attend the appointed feasts,
+\q so you will no longer 
+\q2 bear any shame for it. \f + \ft This verse is very difficult to understand, and modern translations translate it in many different ways. \f*
 \s5
 \q
-\v 19 Behold, I am about to deal with all your oppressors.
-\q At that time, I will rescue the lame and gather up the outcast.
-\q I will make them as praise, and I will change their shame into renown in all the earth.
+\v 19 Behold, I am about to deal 
+\q2 with all your oppressors.
+\q At that time, I will rescue the lame 
+\q2 and gather up the outcast.
+\q I will make them as praise, 
+\q2 and I will change their shame into renown 
+\q2 in all the earth.
 \q
-\v 20 At that time I will lead you; at that time I will gather you together.
-\q I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I reverse your captivity before your eyes,"
-\q says Yahweh.
-
+\v 20 At that time I will lead you; 
+\q2 at that time I will gather you together.
+\q I will give you renown and praise 
+\q2 among all the peoples of the earth 
+\q when I reverse your captivity before your eyes,"
+\q2 says Yahweh.

37-HAG.usfm

@@ -9,118 +9,137 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, saying,
+\v 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month,
+the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
+and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, saying,
 \v 2 "Yahweh of hosts says this: These people say, 'It is not time for us to come or to build the house of Yahweh.'"
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 3 Then the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
+\v 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your finished houses, while this house lies ruined?
+\v 5 So now Yahweh of hosts says this:  Consider your ways!
 \q
-\v 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your finished houses,
-\q while this house lies ruined?
-\q
-\v 5 So now Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q Consider your ways!
-\q
-\v 6 You have sown much seed, but bring in little; you eat but do not have enough;
-\q you drink but cannot get drunk. You wear clothes but cannot warm yourselves,
-\q and the wage earner earns money only to put it into a bag full of holes!
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 7 Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q "Consider your ways!
-\q
-\v 8 Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build my house;
-\q then I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified!—says Yahweh."
-\q
-\v 9 "You looked for much, but behold! you have brought little home, for I blew it away!
-\q Why?" declares Yahweh of hosts.
-\q "Because my house lies in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 10 Because of this the heavens withhold the dew from you, and the earth withholds its produce.
-\q
-\v 11 I have summoned a drought upon the land and upon the mountains, upon the grain
-\q and upon the new wine, upon the oil and upon what the earth sends forth,
-\q upon men and upon animals, and upon all the labor of your hands!"
+\v 6 You have sown much seed, but bring in little;
+\q2 you eat but do not have enough;
+\q you drink but cannot get drunk.
+\q2 You wear clothes but cannot warm yourselves,
+\q and the wage earner earns money
+\q2 only to put it into a bag full of holes!
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, along with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because Yahweh their God had sent him and the people feared the face of Yahweh.
-\v 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of Yahweh, spoke Yahweh's message to the people and said, "I am with you!—this is Yahweh's declaration!"
+\v 7 Yahweh of hosts says this:  "Consider your ways!
+\v 8 Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build my house;
+then I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified!—says Yahweh."
+\v 9 "You looked for much, but behold! you have brought little home, for I blew it away!
+Why?" declares Yahweh of hosts.  "Because my house lies in ruins, 
+while every one of you runs to his own house.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 So Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, so that they went and worked on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God
+\v 10 Because of this the heavens withhold the dew from you, and the earth withholds its produce.
+\v 11 I have summoned a drought upon the land and upon the mountains, upon the grain
+and upon the new wine, upon the oil and upon what the earth sends forth,
+upon men and upon animals, and upon all the labor of your hands!"
+
+\s5
+\p
+\v 12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak,
+along with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God
+and the words of Haggai the prophet, because Yahweh their God had sent him
+and the people feared the face of Yahweh.  
+\v 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of Yahweh, spoke Yahweh's message to the people and said, 
+"I am with you!—this is Yahweh's declaration!"
+
+\s5
+\v 14 So Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
+and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people,
+so that they went and worked on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God
 \v 15 in the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 In the seventh month on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
-\v 2 "Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and to the remnant of the people. Say,
+\v 1 In the seventh month on the twenty-first day of the month,
+the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
+\v 2 "Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
+and to the high priest Joshua son of Jozadak, and to the remnant of the people. Say,
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 3 'Who is left among you
-\q who saw this house in its former glory?
-\q How do you see it now?
-\q Is it not like nothing in your eyes?
-\q
+\v 3 'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory?
+How do you see it now?  Is it not like nothing in your eyes?
 \v 4 Now, be strong, Zerubbabel!—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q and be strong, high priest Joshua son of Jozadak;
-\q and be strong, all you people in the land!—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q and work, for I am with you!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
-\q
+and be strong, high priest Joshua son of Jozadak; and be strong, all you people in the land!
+—this is Yahweh's declaration—and work, for I am with you!—
+this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
 \v 5 This is the covenant that I established with you when you came out of Egypt,
-\q and my Spirit stands among you. Do not fear!
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 6 For Yahweh of hosts says this: In a little while
-\q I will once again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land!
-\q
-\v 7 I will shake every nation, and every nation will bring their precious things to me,
-\q and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of hosts.
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 8 The silver and gold are mine!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
-\q
-\v 9 The glory of this house will be greater in the future than at the beginning, says Yahweh of hosts,
-\q and I will give peace in this place!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts."
+and my Spirit stands among you. Do not fear!
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
+\v 6 For Yahweh of hosts says this: In a little while
+I will once again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land!
+\v 7 I will shake every nation, and every nation will bring their precious things to me,
+and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of hosts.
+
+\s5
+\v 8 The silver and gold are mine!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
+\v 9 The glory of this house will be greater in the future than at the beginning, says Yahweh of hosts,
+and I will give peace in this place!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts."
+
+\s5
+\p
+\v 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius,
+the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
 \v 11 "Yahweh of hosts says this: Ask the priests concerning the law, and say,
-\v 12 'If a man carries meat that is set apart to Yahweh in the fold of his garment, and the fold touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No."
+\v 12 'If a man carries meat that is set apart to Yahweh in the fold of his garment,
+and the fold touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?'"
+
+\p
+The priests answered and said, "No."
 
 \s5
-\v 13 Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean because of death touches any of these things, do they become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "Yes, they become unclean."
-\v 14 So Haggai answered and said, "So it is with this people and this nation before me!—this is Yahweh's declaration—and so it is with the work of their hands. What they offer to me is unclean!
+\p
+\v 13 Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean because of death touches any of these things,
+do they become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "Yes, they become unclean."
+
+\p
+\v 14 So Haggai answered and said, "So it is with this people and this nation before me!—
+this is Yahweh's declaration—and so it is with the work of their hands. What they offer to me is unclean!
 
 \s5
-\v 15 So now, think in your minds about the past leading up to this very day. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of Yahweh,
-\v 16 how was it then? When you came to a heap of twenty measures of grain, there were only ten; and when you came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures, there were only twenty.
-\v 17 I afflicted you and all the work of your hands with blight and mildew, but you still did not turn to me—this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\p
+\v 15 So now, think in your minds about the past leading up to this very day.
+Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of Yahweh,
+\v 16 how was it then? When you came to a heap of twenty measures of grain,
+there were only ten; and when you came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures,
+there were only twenty.
+\v 17 I afflicted you and all the work of your hands with blight and mildew,
+but you still did not turn to me—this is Yahweh's declaration.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 Consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the temple of Yahweh was laid. Consider it!
-\v 19 Is there still seed in the storehouse? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not borne! But from this day will I bless you!"
+\v 18 Consider from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,
+from the day that the foundation of the temple of Yahweh was laid. Consider it!
+\v 19 Is there still seed in the storehouse? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate,
+and the olive tree have not borne! But from this day will I bless you!"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then the word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month and said,
 \v 21 "Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, and say,
+
 \q 'I will shake the heavens and the earth.
-\q
-\v 22 For I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations!
-\q I will overthrow the chariots and their riders; the horses and their riders will fall down, each one because of his brother's sword.
+\q2
+\v 22 For I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms
+\q and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations!
+\q2 I will overthrow the chariots and their riders;
+\q the horses and their riders will fall down,
+\q2 each one because of his brother's sword.
 
 \s5
-\q2
-\v 23 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my servant—this is Yahweh's declaration.
-\q2 I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you!
-\q2 —this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts!'"
+\p
+\v 23 On that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—
+I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my servant—this is Yahweh's declaration.
+I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you!—
+this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts!'"
 

38-ZEC.usfm

@@ -9,26 +9,20 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius's reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
+\v 1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
 \v 2 "Yahweh was exceedingly angry with your fathers!
 \v 3 Say to them, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q Turn to me!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—
-\q and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts.
+ Turn to me!—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts— and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts.
 
 \s5
-\p
 \v 4 Do not be like your fathers to whom the prophets cried out previously, saying, "Yahweh of hosts says this: Turn from your evil ways and wicked practices!" But they would not hear and did not pay attention to me—this is Yahweh's declaration.'
-\q
 \v 5 Your fathers—where are they? And the prophets—do they live forever?
-\q
-\v 6 But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets,
-\q have they not overtaken your fathers?
-\m So they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of hosts planned to do to us what our ways and actions deserved, so he has dealt with us.'"
+\v 6 But my words and my decrees that I commanded my servants the prophets, have they not overtaken your fathers? So they repented and said, 'Just as Yahweh of hosts planned to do to us what our ways and actions deserved, so he has dealt with us.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius's reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
-\v 8 "I saw in the night, and, look! A man was riding on a red horse, and he was among the myrtle trees that are in the valley; and behind him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses."
+\v 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius' reign, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah son of Berekiah son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
+\v 8 I saw in the night, and, look! A man was riding on a red horse, and he was among the myrtle trees that are in the valley; and behind him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses.
 \v 9 I said, "What are these things, Lord?" Then the angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these things are."
 
 \s5
@@ -41,21 +35,14 @@
 \v 13 Yahweh answered the angel who had talked with me, with good words, words of comfort.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 So the angel who had talked with me said to me, "Call out and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy!
-\q
-\v 15 I am very angry with the nations that are at ease.
-\q When I was only a little angry with them, they made the disaster worse.
+\p
+\v 14 So the angel who had talked with me said to me, "Call out and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy!
+\v 15 I am very angry with the nations that are at ease. When I was only a little angry with them, they made the disaster worse.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 16 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house will be built within her—
-\q this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem!'
-\q
-\v 17 Again call out, saying,
-\q 'Yahweh of hosts says this: My cities will once again overflow with goodness,
-\q and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and he will once again choose Jerusalem.'"
+\v 16 Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this: I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house will be built within her—
+this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—and the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem!'
+\v 17 Again call out, saying, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: My cities will once again overflow with goodness, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and he will once again choose Jerusalem.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -74,41 +61,31 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Then the angel who had talked with me went away and another angel went out to meet him.
-\v 4 The second angel said to him, "Run and speak to that young man; say,
-\q 'Jerusalem will sit in the open country
-\q because of the multitudes of men and livestock within her.
-\q
-\v 5 For I—this is Yahweh's declaration—will become for her a wall of fire around her,
-\q and I will be the glory in her midst.
+\v 4 The second angel said to him, "Run and speak to that young man; say, 'Jerusalem will sit in the open country because of the multitudes of men and livestock within her.
+\p
+\v 5 For I—this is Yahweh's declaration—will become for her a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q for I have scattered you like the four winds of the skies!—This is Yahweh's declaration.
-\q
+\p
+\v 6 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I have scattered you like the four winds of the skies!—This is Yahweh's declaration.
+\p
 \v 7 Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with the daughter of Babylon!'"
-\q
 
 \s5
-\v 8 For after Yahweh of hosts honored me and sent me against the nations that plundered you—
-\q for whoever touches you, touches the apple of God's eye!—after Yahweh did this, he said,
-\q
+\p
+\v 8 For after Yahweh of hosts honored me and sent me against the nations that plundered you—for whoever touches you, touches the apple of God's eye!—after Yahweh did this, he said,
 \v 9 "I myself will shake my hand over them, and they will be plunder for their slaves."
-\q Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me.
+ Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 10 "Sing for joy and be glad, daughter of Zion,
-\q for I myself am about to come and dwell among you!—this is Yahweh's declaration."
-\q
+\p
+\v 10 "Sing for joy and be glad, daughter of Zion, for I myself am about to come and dwell among you!—this is Yahweh's declaration."
 \v 11 Then great nations will join themselves to Yahweh in that day. He says, "Then you will become my people;
-\q for I will dwell in the midst of you," and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
+ for I will dwell in the midst of you," and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 12 For Yahweh will inherit Judah as his rightful possession in the holy land
-\q and will once again choose Jerusalem for himself.
-\q
+\p
+\v 12 For Yahweh will inherit Judah as his rightful possession in the holy land and will once again choose Jerusalem for himself.
 \v 13 Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh, for he has been roused from out of his holy place!
 
 \s5
@@ -125,20 +102,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 Next the angel of Yahweh solemnly commanded Joshua and said,
-\v 7 "Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my commandments,
-\q then you will govern my house and guard my courts,
-\q for I will allow you to go and come among these who stand before me.
+\v 7 "Yahweh of hosts says this: If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my commandments, then you will govern my house and guard my courts, for I will allow you to go and come among these who stand before me.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 8 Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who live with you!
-\q For these men are a sign, for I myself will bring up my servant the Branch.
-\q
-\v 9 Now look at the stone that I have set before Joshua. There are seven eyes on this single stone,
-\q and I will engrave an inscription—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—
-\q and I will remove the iniquity from this land in one day.
-\m
+\v 8 Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who live with you! For these men are a sign, for I myself will bring up my servant the Branch.
+\v 9 Now look at the stone that I have set before Joshua. There are seven eyes on this single stone, and I will engrave an inscription—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts— and I will remove the iniquity from this land in one day.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 In that day—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—each man will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree."
@@ -161,9 +129,9 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
-\v 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house and his hands will bring it to completion." Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
+\v 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house and his hands will bring it to completion. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.
 \p
-\v 10 Who has despised the day of small things? These people will rejoice and will see the plumb stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. (These seven lamps are the eyes of Yahweh that roam over the whole earth.)
+\v 10 Who has despised the day of small things? These people will rejoice and will see the plumb stone in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven lamps are the eyes of Yahweh that roam over the whole earth."
 \p
 \v 11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees that stand on the left and the right of the lampstand?"
 
@@ -223,12 +191,8 @@
 \v 11 Then take the silver and gold, make a crown and set it upon the head of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Speak to him and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q This man, his name is Branch! He will grow up where he is
-\q and will then build the temple of Yahweh!
-\q
-\v 13 It is he who builds the temple of Yahweh, and he will be clothed with royal splendor, and will sit and rule on his throne.
-\q He will be a priest on his throne, and he will bear a counsel of peace between the two.
+\v 12 Speak to him and say, 'Yahweh of hosts says this: This man, his name is Branch! He will grow up where he is and will then build the temple of Yahweh!
+\v 13 It is he who builds the temple of Yahweh, and he will be clothed with royal splendor, and will sit and rule on his throne. He will be a priest on his throne, and he will bear a counsel of peace between the two.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 The crown will given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and for Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of Yahweh.
@@ -244,7 +208,6 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 So the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying,
-\q
 \v 5 "Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests and say, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, were you truly fasting for me?
 \v 6 When you ate and drank, did you not eat and drink for yourselves?
 \v 7 Were these not the same words that Yahweh proclaimed by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem and the surrounding cities were inhabited and prosperous, and the Negev and the lowlands to the west were inhabited?'"
@@ -270,66 +233,30 @@
 \v 3 Yahweh of hosts says this: I will return to Zion and will live in the midst of Jerusalem, for Jerusalem will be called The City of Truth and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called The Holy Mountain!
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 4 Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q Old men and old women will once again be in the streets of Jerusalem,
-\q and every person will need a staff in his hand because he has grown so old.
-\q
+\v 4 Yahweh of hosts says this: Old men and old women will once again be in the streets of Jerusalem, and every person will need a staff in his hand because he has grown so old.
 \v 5 The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in them.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 6 Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q If something seems impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days,
-\q should it also seem impossible in my eyes?—this is Yahweh's declaration.
-\q
-\v 7 Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q Behold, I am about to rescue my people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the setting sun!
-\q
-\v 8 For I will bring them back,
-\q and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem,
-\q so they will again be my people,
-\q and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness!
+\p
+\v 6 Yahweh of hosts says this: If something seems impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible in my eyes?—this is Yahweh's declaration.
+\p
+\v 7 Yahweh of hosts says this: Behold, I am about to rescue my people from the land of the sunrise and from the land of the setting sun!
+\v 8 For I will bring them back, and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem, so they will again be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness!
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 9 Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q You who now continue to hear the same words
-\q that came from the prophets' mouths
-\q when the foundation of my house was laid—this house of mine, Yahweh of hosts:
-\q Strengthen your hands so that the temple can be built.
-\q
-\v 10 For before those days
-\q no crops were gathered in by anyone,
-\q there was no profit for either man or animal,
-\q and there was no peace from enemies for anyone going or coming.
-\q I had set every person each against his neighbor.
+\p
+\v 9 Yahweh of hosts says this: You who now continue to hear the same words that came from the prophets' mouths when the foundation of my house was laid—this house of mine, Yahweh of hosts: Strengthen your hands so that the temple can be built.
+\v 10 For before those days no crops were gathered in by anyone, there was no profit for either man or animal, and there was no peace from enemies for anyone going or coming. I had set every person each against his neighbor.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 11 But now it will not be as in former days,
-\q I will be with the remnant of this people—
-\q this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
-\q
-\v 12 For seeds of peace will be sown;
-\q the climbing vine will give its fruit and the earth will give its produce;
-\q the skies will give their dew,
-\q for I will make the remnant of this people inherit all these things.
+\v 11 But now it will not be as in former days, I will be with the remnant of this people— this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
+\v 12 For seeds of peace will be sown; the climbing vine will give its fruit and the earth will give its produce; the skies will give their dew, for I will make the remnant of this people inherit all these things.
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 13 You were an example to the other nations of a curse,
-\q house of Judah and house of Israel.
-\q So I will rescue you and you will be a blessing.
-\q Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong!
-\q
-\v 14 For Yahweh of hosts says this:
-\q Just as I planned to do harm to you when your ancestors provoked my anger—
-\q says Yahweh of hosts—and did not relent,
-\q
-\v 15 so also I will plan in these days
-\q to do good again to Jerusalem and the house of Judah!
-\q Do not fear!
+\v 13 You were an example to the other nations of a curse, house of Judah and house of Israel. So I will rescue you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong!
+\p
+\v 14 For Yahweh of hosts says this: Just as I planned to do harm to you when your ancestors provoked my anger— says Yahweh of hosts—and did not relent,
+\v 15 so also I will plan in these days to do good again to Jerusalem and the house of Judah! Do not fear!
 
 \s5
 \v 16 These are the things that you must do: Speak truth, every person with his neighbor. Judge with truth, justice, and peace in your gates.
@@ -338,134 +265,223 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying,
-\q
-\v 19 "Yahweh of hosts says this: The fasts of the fourth month,
-\q the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month
-\q will become times of joy, gladness, and happy festivals for the house of Judah!
-\q Therefore love truth and peace!
-
-\s5
-\q
-\v 20 Yahweh of hosts says this: People will come again,
-\q even those who are living in many different cities.
-\q
-\v 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another city and say,
-\q 'Let us quickly go to beg before the face of Yahweh
-\q and to seek Yahweh of hosts! We ourselves are also going.'
-\q
-\v 22 Many people and mighty nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem
-\q and beg for the favor of Yahweh!
+\v 19 "Yahweh of hosts says this: The fasts of the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month will become times of joy, gladness, and happy festivals for the house of Judah! Therefore love truth and peace!
 
 \s5
 \p
-\q
-\v 23 Yahweh of hosts says this: In those days
-\q ten men from every language and nation
-\q will grasp the hem of the robe of a Jew and say,
-\q 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!'"
+\v 20 Yahweh of hosts says this: People will come again, even those who are living in many different cities.
+\v 21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another city and say, 'Let us quickly go to beg before the face of Yahweh and to seek Yahweh of hosts! We ourselves are also going.'
+\v 22 Many people and mighty nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem and beg for the favor of Yahweh!
+
+\s5
+\p
+\v 23 Yahweh of hosts says this: In those days ten men from every language and nation will grasp the hem of the robe of a Jew and say, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!'"
 
 \s5
 \c 9
-\p
-\v 1 "This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning the land of Hadrak and Damascus, its resting place; for the eyes of all humanity and all the tribes of Israel are toward Yahweh.
-\v 2 This declaration also concerns Hamath, which borders on Damascus, and it concerns Tyre and Sidon, for they are very wise.
-
-\s5
-\v 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold and heaped up silver like dust and refined gold like mud in the streets.
-\v 4 Look! The Lord will dispossess her and destroy her strength on the sea, so she will be devoured by fire.
-
-\s5
-\v 5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid! Gaza also will tremble greatly! Ekron, her hopes will be disappointed! The king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not remain.
-\v 6 Strangers will make their homes in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
-\v 7 For I will remove their blood from their mouths and their abominations from between their teeth. Then they will become a remnant for our God like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will become like the Jebusites.
-
-\s5
-\p
-\v 8 I will camp around my land against enemy armies, \f + \ft Most interpreters translate the Hebrew words as \fqa against enemy armies \fqa* and some translate the Hebrew \fqa as a guard,\fqa* and so translate the phrase, \fqa I will surround my temple as a guard \fqa* . \f* so no one can pass through or return, for no oppressor will overrun them, for now I see with my own eyes!
+\q
+\v 1 "This is a declaration of Yahweh's word concerning the land of Hadrak
+\q2 and Damascus, its resting place; 
+\q for the eyes of all humanity and all the tribes of Israel 
+\q2 are toward Yahweh.
+\q
+\v 2 This declaration also concerns Hamath, which borders on Damascus, 
+\q2 and it concerns Tyre and Sidon, for they are very wise.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
+\v 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold 
+\q2 and heaped up silver like dust 
+\q2 and refined gold like mud in the streets.
+\q
+\v 4 Look! The Lord will dispossess her 
+\q2 and destroy her strength on the sea, 
+\q2 so she will be devoured by fire.
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid! 
+\q2 Gaza also will tremble greatly! 
+\q2 Ekron, her hopes will be disappointed! 
+\q The king will perish from Gaza, 
+\q2 and Ashkelon will not remain.
+\q
+\v 6 Strangers will make their homes in Ashdod, 
+\q2 and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
+\q
+\v 7 For I will remove their blood from their mouths 
+\q2 and their abominations from between their teeth. 
+\q Then they will become a remnant for our God 
+\q2 like a clan in Judah, 
+\q2 and Ekron will become like the Jebusites.
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 8 I will camp around my land against enemy armies, \f + \ft Most interpreters translate the Hebrew words as \fqa against enemy armies \fqa* and some translate the Hebrew \fqa as a guard,\fqa* and so translate the phrase, \fqa I will surround my temple as a guard \fqa* . \f*
+\q2  so no one can pass through or return, 
+\q for no oppressor will overrun them, 
+\q2 for now I see with my own eyes!
+\b
+
+\s5
+\q
+\v 9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! 
+\q2 Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
 \q Behold! Your king is coming to you.
-\q He is righteous and victorious.
-\q He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey.
+\q2 He is righteous and victorious.
+\q He is humble and is riding on a donkey, 
+\q2 on the colt of a donkey.
 \q
-\v 10 Then I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem,
-\q and the bow will be cut off from battle; for he will speak peace to the nations,
-\q and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
+\v 10 Then I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim 
+\q2 and the horse from Jerusalem,
+\q2 and the bow will be cut off from battle; 
+\q for he will speak peace to the nations,
+\q2 and his dominion will be from sea to sea, 
+\q2 and from the River to the ends of the earth!
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the pit where there is no water.
-\v 12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! Even today I am declaring that I will return double to you,
-\v 13 for I have bent Judah as my bow. I have filled my quiver with Ephraim. I have roused your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and have made you, Zion, like a warrior's sword!"
+\q
+\v 11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, 
+\q2 I will set your prisoners free from the pit where there is no water.
+\q
+\v 12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! 
+\q2 Even today I am declaring that I will return double to you,
+\q
+\v 13 for I have bent Judah as my bow. 
+\q2 I have filled my quiver with Ephraim. 
+\q I have roused your sons, Zion, 
+\q2 against your sons, Greece, 
+\q2 and have made you, Zion, like a warrior's sword!"
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 14 Yahweh will appear to them, and his arrows will shoot out like lightning! For my Lord Yahweh will blow the ram's horn and will advance with the storms from Teman.
-\v 15 Yahweh of hosts will defend them, and they will devour them and defeat the stones of the slings. Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine, and they will be filled with wine like bowls, like the corners of the altar.
+\q
+\v 14 Yahweh will appear to them, 
+\q2 and his arrows will shoot out like lightning! 
+\q For my Lord Yahweh will blow the ram's horn 
+\q2 and will advance with the storms from Teman.
+\q
+\v 15 Yahweh of hosts will defend them, 
+\q2 and they will devour them and defeat the stones of the slings. 
+\q Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine, 
+\q2 and they will be filled with wine like bowls, 
+\q2 like the corners of the altar.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 So Yahweh their God will rescue them on that day, as the flock of his people. They are the jewels of a crown that will shine on his land.
-\v 17 How good and how beautiful they will be! The young men will flourish on grain and the virgins on sweet wine!"
+\q
+\v 16 So Yahweh their God will rescue them on that day, 
+\q2 as the flock of his people. 
+\q They are the jewels of a crown 
+\q2 that will shine on his land.
+\q
+\v 17 How good and how beautiful they will be! 
+\q2 The young men will flourish on grain 
+\q2 and the virgins on sweet wine!"
 
 \s5
 \c 10
-\m
 \q
 \v 1 Ask for rain from Yahweh in the season of the spring rain—
-\q Yahweh who makes thunderstorms—
+\q2 Yahweh who makes thunderstorms—
 \q and he gives rain showers to everyone
-\q and vegetation in the field.
+\q2 and vegetation in the field.
 \q
-\v 2 For household idols speak wickedness; the diviners envision a lie;
-\q they tell deceitful dreams and give empty comfort,
-\q so they wander like sheep and suffer because there is no shepherd.
+\v 2 For household idols speak wickedness; 
+\q2 the diviners envision a lie;
+\q they tell deceitful dreams 
+\q2 and give empty comfort,
+\q so they wander like sheep and suffer 
+\q2 because there is no shepherd.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\m
-\p
-\v 3 "My wrath burns against the shepherds; it is the male goats—the leaders—that I will punish. Yahweh of hosts will also attend to his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like his warhorse in battle!
+\q
+\v 3 "My wrath burns against the shepherds; 
+\q2 it is the male goats—the leaders—that I will punish. 
+\q Yahweh of hosts will also attend to his flock, the house of Judah, 
+\q2 and make them like his warhorse in battle!
 
 \s5
-\v 4 From Judah will come the cornerstone; from him will come the tent peg; from him will come the war bow; from him will come every ruler together. \f + \ft Many modern translations arrange the text by adding \fqa together \fqa* at the start of the next verse. \f*
-\v 5 They will be like warriors who trample their enemies into the mud of the streets in battle; they will make war, for Yahweh is with them, and they will shame those who ride warhorses.
+\q
+\v 4 From Judah will come the cornerstone; 
+\q2 from him will come the tent peg; 
+\q from him will come the war bow; 
+\q2 from him will come every ruler together. \f + \ft Many modern translations arrange the text by adding \fqa together \fqa* at the start of the next verse. \f*
+\q
+\v 5 They will be like warriors
+\q2 who trample their enemies into the mud of the streets in battle; 
+\q they will make war, for Yahweh is with them, 
+\q2 and they will shame those who ride warhorses.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 6 I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph, for I will restore them and have mercy on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am Yahweh their God, and I will respond to them.
-\v 7 Then Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their hearts will rejoice as with wine; their children will see and rejoice. Their hearts will rejoice in me!
+\q
+\v 6 I will strengthen the house of Judah 
+\q2 and save the house of Joseph, 
+\q for I will restore them 
+\q2 and have mercy on them. 
+\q They will be as though 
+\q2 I had not rejected them, 
+\q for I am Yahweh their God, 
+\q2 and I will respond to them.
+\q
+\v 7 Then Ephraim will be like a warrior, 
+\q2 and their hearts will rejoice as with wine; 
+\q their children will see and rejoice. 
+\q2 Their hearts will rejoice in me!
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 8 I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will rescue them, and they will become as great as they previously were!
-\v 9 I sowed them among the peoples, but they will remember me in distant countries, so they and their children will live and return.
-\v 10 For I will restore them from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon until there is no more room for them.
+\q
+\v 8 I will whistle for them 
+\q2 and gather them, 
+\q for I will rescue them, 
+\q2 and they will become as great as they previously were!
+\q
+\v 9 I sowed them among the peoples, 
+\q2 but they will remember me in distant countries, 
+\q2 so they and their children will live and return.
+\q
+\v 10 For I will restore them from the land of Egypt 
+\q2 and gather them from Assyria. 
+\q I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon 
+\q2 until there is no more room for them.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 I will pass through the sea of their affliction; I will strike the waves of that sea and will dry up all the depths of the Nile. The majesty of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will go away from the Egyptians.
-\v 12 I will strengthen them in myself, and they will walk in my name—this is Yahweh's declaration."
+\q
+\v 11 I will pass through the sea of their affliction;
+\q2  I will strike the waves of that sea and will dry up all the depths of the Nile. 
+\q The majesty of Assyria will be brought down, 
+\q2 and the scepter of Egypt will go away from the Egyptians.
+\q
+\v 12 I will strengthen them in myself, 
+\q2 and they will walk in my name—
+\q2 this is Yahweh's declaration."
 
 \s5
 \c 11
-\m
 \q
-\v 1 Open your doors, Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars!
+\v 1 Open your doors, Lebanon, 
+\q2 that fire may devour your cedars!
 \q
-\v 2 Wail, cypress trees, for the cedar trees have fallen! What was glorious has been devastated!
-\q Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest has gone down.
+\v 2 Wail, cypress trees, for the cedar trees have fallen! 
+\q2 What was glorious has been devastated!
+\q Wail, you oaks of Bashan, 
+\q2 for the impenetrable forest has gone down.
 \q
-\v 3 There is the sound of the shepherds' howl, for their glory has been destroyed!
-\q There is the voice of the young lions' roar, for the pride of the Jordan River has been devastated!
+\v 3 There is the sound of the shepherds' howl, 
+\q2 for their glory has been destroyed!
+\q There is the voice of the young lions' roar, 
+\q2 for the pride of the Jordan River has been devastated!
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
-\m
 \v 4 This is what Yahweh my God says, "Like a shepherd, watch over the flock set aside for slaughter!
 \v 5 (Those who buy them slaughter them and are not guilty, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh! I have become rich!' for the shepherds working for the flocks' owners have no pity on them.)
 \v 6 For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land!—this is Yahweh's declaration. See! I myself am about to turn over every person into the hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king, and they will destroy the land and none of them will I deliver them from their hand."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 7 So I became the shepherd of the flock marked for slaughter for those who dealt in sheep. I took two staffs; one staff I called "Favor" and the other I called "Unity." In this way I shepherded the flock.
 \v 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also hated me.
 \v 9 Then I said to the owners, "I will not work as a shepherd for you any longer. The sheep that are dying—let them die; the sheep that are being destroyed—let them be destroyed. Let the sheep that remain each eat the flesh of its neighbor."
@@ -483,12 +499,15 @@
 \p
 \v 15 Yahweh said to me, "Again, take the equipment of a foolish shepherd for yourself,
 \v 16 for see, I am about to set in place a shepherd in the land. He will not care for the perishing sheep. He will not seek out the sheep gone missing, nor heal the crippled sheep. He will not feed the sheep that are healthy, but will eat the flesh of the fattened sheep and will tear off their hooves.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who forsakes the flock!
+\v 17 Woe to the worthless shepherd 
+\q2 who abandons the flock!
 \q May the sword come against his arm and his right eye!
-\q May his arm wither away and may his right eye become blind!"
+\q2 May his arm wither away 
+\q2 and may his right eye become blind!"
 
 \s5
 \c 12
@@ -502,16 +521,17 @@
 \v 5 Then the chiefs of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength because of Yahweh of hosts, their God.'
 
 \s5
-\v 6 On that day I will make the chiefs of Judah like firepots among wood and like a flaming torch among standing grain, for they will consume all the surrounding peoples on their right and on their left. Jerusalem will again live in her own place."
-
-\s5
-\v 7 Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem may not be greater than the rest of Judah.
-\v 8 On that day Yahweh will be the defender of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on that day those who are weak among them will be like David, while the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh in front of them.
-\v 9 "On that day that I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
+\v 6 On that day I will make the chiefs of Judah like firepots among wood and like a flaming torch among standing grain, for they will consume all the surrounding peoples on their right and on their left. Jerusalem will again live in her own place.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 But I will pour out a spirit of compassion and pleading on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so they will look on me, the one they have pierced. They will mourn for me, as one mourns for an only son; they will bitterly lament for him like those who lament the death of a firstborn son.
+\v 7" Yahweh will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of those who live in Jerusalem may not be greater than the rest of Judah.
+\v 8 On that day Yahweh will be the defender of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on that day those who are weak among them will be like David, while the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh in front of them.
+\v 9 "On that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
+
+\s5
+\p
+\v 10 "But I will pour out a spirit of compassion and pleading on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so they will look on me, the one they have pierced. They will mourn for me, as one mourns for an only son; they will bitterly lament for him like those who lament the death of a firstborn son.
 \v 11 On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be like the wailing at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
 
 \s5
@@ -532,29 +552,30 @@
 \v 4 On that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he is about to prophesy. These prophets will no longer wear a hairy cloak, in order to deceive the people.
 \v 5 For each will say, 'I am not a prophet! I am a man who works the soil, for the land became my work while I was still a young man!'
 \v 6 But someone will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' and he will answer, 'I was wounded with those in my friends' house.'
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 "Sword! Rouse yourself against my shepherd,
-\q the man who stands close to me—
-\q this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
+\q2 the man who stands close to me—
+\q2 this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
 \q Strike the shepherd,
-\q and the flock will scatter!
-\q For I will turn my hand against the lowly ones.
+\q2 and the flock will scatter!
+\q2 For I will turn my hand against the lowly ones.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 8 Then it will come about that throughout all the land—this is Yahweh's declaration—
-\q that two-thirds of it will be cut off! Those people will perish;
-\q only one-third will remain there.
+\q2 that two-thirds of it will be cut off! Those people will perish;
+\q2 only one-third will remain there.
 \q
 \v 9 I will bring that third through the fire
-\q and refine them as silver is refined;
-\q I will test them as gold is tested.
+\q2 and refine them as silver is refined;
+\q2 I will test them as gold is tested.
 \q They will call on my name,
-\q and I will answer them and say,
+\q2 and I will answer them and say,
 \q 'This is my people!'
-\q and they will say, 'Yahweh is my God!'"
+\q2 and they will say, 'Yahweh is my God!'"
 
 \s5
 \c 14
@@ -591,8 +612,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then it will happen that all who remain in those nations that came against Jerusalem will instead go up from year to year to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Festival of Shelters.
-\v 17 It will happen that if anyone from all the nations of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, then Yahweh will not bring rain on them.
+\v 16 Then it will happen that all who remain in those nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Festival of Shelters.
+\v 17 It will happen that if anyone from all the nations of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, then Yahweh will not bring rain on them.
 \v 18 If the nation of Egypt does not go up, then they will not receive rain. A plague from Yahweh will attack the nations that do not go up to keep the Festival of Shelters.
 
 \s5

39-MAL.usfm

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 \v 2 "If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it on your heart to give honor to my name," says Yahweh of hosts, "then I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them, because you are not laying my command on your heart.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 See, I am about to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung from your festivals, and he will take you away with it. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa rebuke your descendants \fqa* , which is found in the copies of the ancient Hebrew text, but there some ancient translations of the copies of the Hebrew text (and these are followed by several modern translations), and so they read, \fqa cut off your shoulder \fqa* (or \fqa arm \fqa* ). Some other modern translations have \fqa corrupt your descendants \fqa* . \f* \f + \ft Instead of \fqa he will take you away with it \fqa* , which is in the ancient copies of the Hebrew text, some ancient translations of the copies of the Hebrew text, followed by some modern translations have \fqa I will take you away from beside me \fqa* , that is, \fqa from my presence \fqa* . \f*
+\v 3 See, I am about to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung from your festivals, and he will take you away with it. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa rebuke your descendants \fqa* , which is in the copies of the ancient Hebrew text, some ancient translations have \fqa cut off your shoulder \fqa* or \fqa throw the arm to you \fqa* . Some other modern translations have \fqa corrupt your descendants \fqa* . \f* \f + \ft Instead of \fqa he will take you away with it \fqa* , which is in the ancient copies of the Hebrew text, some ancient translations have \fqa I will take you away from beside me \fqa* , that is, \fqa from my presence \fqa* . \f*
 \v 4 You will know that I have sent this command to you, and that my covenant may continue to be with Levi," says Yahweh of hosts.
 
 \s5
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 But you have turned away from the true path. You have caused many to stumble with respect to the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says Yahweh of hosts.
-\v 9 "So I also, I have made you contemptible and lowly before all the people, because you have not kept my ways, but have instead shown partiality with regard to the instruction."
+\v 9 "So, I have made you contemptible and lowly before all the people, because you have not kept my ways, but have instead shown partiality in matters of the law."
 
 \s5
 \p

41-MAT.usfm

@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@
 \p
 \v 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse.
 \p
-\v 6 Jesse was the father of David the king,
-\p David the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.
+\v 6 Jesse was the father of David the king.
+\p David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Now all this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
-\q
 \v 23 "Behold, the virgin will become pregnant and will bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel"—which being translated is, "God with us."
 
 \s5
@@ -84,12 +83,12 @@
 \v 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what was written by the prophet,
 \q
 \v 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
-\q are not the least among the rulers of Judah,
+\q2 are not the least among the rulers of Judah,
 \q for from you will come one who rules,
-\q who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
-\m
+\q2 who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 7 Then Herod secretly called the learned men to ask them exactly what time the star had appeared.
 \v 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the young child. When you have found him, bring me a report so that I also may come and worship him."
@@ -110,15 +109,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been mocked by the learned men, was very angry. He sent and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had determined exactly from the learned men.
+\v 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been mocked by the learned men, was very angry. He sent and killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had determined exactly from the learned men.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet,
+\v 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 
 \q
 \v 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,
-\q weeping and great mourning,
+\q2 weeping and great mourning,
 \q Rachel weeping for her children,
-\q and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more."
+\q2 and she refused to be comforted, 
+\q2 because they were no more."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -136,12 +136,13 @@
 \v 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying,
 \v 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
 \v 3 For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
+\b
 \q "The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,
 \q 'Make ready the way of the Lord,
-\q make his paths straight.'"
-\m
+\q2 make his paths straight.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 4 Now John wore clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
 \v 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan River went out to him.
@@ -180,13 +181,14 @@
 \p
 \v 5 Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple building,
 \v 6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
+\b
 \q 'He will command his angels to take care of you,'
-\m and,
+\m and
 \q 'They will carry you in their hands,
-\q so that you will not hit your foot against a stone.'"
-\m
+\q2 so that you will not hit your foot against a stone.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"
 \p
@@ -206,16 +208,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 This happened to fulfill what was said by Isaiah the prophet,
-\q1
-\p
+\q
 \v 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
-\q1 toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
-\q1 Galilee of the Gentiles!
-\q1
+\q2 toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
+\q2 Galilee of the Gentiles!
+\q
 \v 16 The people who sat in darkness
-\q1 have seen a great light,
-\q1 and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
-\q1 upon them has a light arisen."
+\q2 have seen a great light,
+\q and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
+\q2 upon them has a light arisen."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@
 \v 20 Immediately they left the nets and followed him.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 As Jesus was going on from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee, and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets. He called them,
+\v 21 As Jesus was going on from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets. He called them,
 \v 22 and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
 
 \s5
@@ -241,7 +242,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
 \v 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
-\p
+\b
 \q
 \v 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
 \q2 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
@@ -273,7 +274,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 "Blessed are you when people reproach you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake.
+\v 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake.
 \v 12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For in this way people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.
 
 \s5
@@ -288,7 +289,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 "Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy them, but to fulfill them.
-\v 18 For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will in any way pass away from the law, until all things have been accomplished.
+\v 18 For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will in any way pass away from the law, until all things have been accomplished.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Therefore whoever breaks the least one of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
@@ -296,8 +297,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 "You have heard that it was said to them in ancient times, 'Do not kill,' and, 'Whoever kills will be held accountable to the judgment.'
-\v 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be held accountable to the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'You worthless person!' will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
+\v 21 "You have heard that it was said to them in ancient times, 'Do not murder,' and, 'Whoever murders will be subject to judgment.'
+\v 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'You worthless person!' will be subject to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be subject to the fire of hell.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
@@ -336,7 +337,7 @@
 \v 39 But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Instead, whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
 
 \s5
-\v 40 If anyone wishes to sue you and takes away your tunic, let that person also have your cloak.
+\v 40 If anyone wishes to bring a lawsuit against you and takes away your tunic, let that person also have your cloak.
 \v 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
 \v 42 Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from anyone who wishes to borrow from you.
 
@@ -354,7 +355,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 6
 \p
-\v 1 "Take heed that you do not do your acts of righteousness before people to be seen by them, or else you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
+\v 1 "Watch out that you do not do your acts of righteousness before people to be seen by them, or else you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
 \v 2 So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before yourself as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full.
 
 \s5
@@ -369,34 +370,36 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.
+\p
 \v 9 Therefore pray like this:
+\b
 \q 'Our Father in heaven,
 \q2 may your name be honored as holy.
-\q2
+\q
 \v 10 May your kingdom come.
-\q2 May your will be done
+\q May your will be done
 \q2 on earth as it is in heaven.
 
 \s5
-\q2
+\q
 \v 11 Give us today our daily bread.
-\q2
+\q
 \v 12 Forgive us our debts,
 \q2 as we also have forgiven our debtors.
-\q2
+\q
 \v 13 Do not bring us into temptation,
 \q2 but deliver us from the evil one.' \f + \ft The best ancient copies do not have \fqa For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen \fqa* . \f*
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 14 For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
 \v 15 But if you do not forgive their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 "When you fast, do not have a mournful face as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to people as fasting. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full.
+\v 16 "When you fast, do not have a sad face as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to people to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full.
 \v 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
-\v 18 so that it would not appear to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
+\v 18 so that you may not appear to people to be fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -508,7 +511,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Only say the word and my servant will be healed.
-\v 9 For I also am a man who is appointed under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
+\v 9 For I also am a man under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  
 \p
 \v 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, "Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone with such faith in Israel.
 
@@ -524,7 +527,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 16 When evening had come, the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
-\v 17 In this way was fulfilled that which had been spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He himself took our sickness and bore our diseases."
+\v 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
+\b
+\q "He took our illnesses 
+\q2 and bore our diseases."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -620,7 +626,7 @@
 \v 22 But Jesus turned and saw her, and said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 When Jesus came into the official's house, he saw the flute players and the crowd in tumult.
+\v 23 When Jesus came into the official's house, he saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion.
 \v 24 He said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but she is asleep." But they laughed at him in mockery.
 
 \s5
@@ -723,7 +729,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
-\v 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
+\v 35 For I came to set 
+\b
+\q a man against his father, 
+\q2 and a daughter against her mother, 
+\q and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
+\b
 \v 36 A man's enemies will be those of his own household.
 
 \s5
@@ -760,11 +771,13 @@
 \s5
 \v 9 But what did you go out to see—a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet.
 \v 10 This is he of whom it was written,
-\q 'See, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
-\m
+\b
+\q 'See, I am sending my messenger before your face, 
+\q2 who will prepare your way before you.'
 
 \s5
-\v 11 I say to you truly, there has not arisen among those born of women anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.
+\m
+\v 11 Truly I say to you that among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.
 \v 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force.
 
 \s5
@@ -773,8 +786,14 @@
 \v 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 To what should I compare this generation? It is like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another
-\v 17 and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We mourned, and you did not weep.'
+\v 16 To what should I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces calling out to the others,
+\v 17 saying: 
+\b
+\q 'We played a flute for you, 
+\q2 and you did not dance. 
+\q We mourned, 
+\q2 and you did not weep.'
+\b
 
 \s5
 \v 18 For John came not eating bread or drinking wine, and they say, 'He has a demon.'
@@ -782,9 +801,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of his miracles were done, because they had not repented.
+\v 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles were done, because they had not repented.
 \v 21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
-\v 22 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.
+\v 22 But, I tell you it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.
 
 \s5
 \v 23 You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if in Sodom there had been done the miracles that were done in you, it would still have remained until today.
@@ -836,25 +855,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 As Jesus perceived this, he withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all.
+\v 15 Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all.
 \v 16 He commanded them not to make him known to others,
 \v 17 that it might be fulfilled, what had been said through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 "See, my servant whom I have chosen;
-\q my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased.
+\q2 my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased.
 \q I will put my Spirit upon him,
-\q and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
-\q
+\q2 and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
 
 \s5
+\q
 \v 19 He will not strive nor cry aloud;
-\q neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
+\q2 neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
 \q
 \v 20 He will not break any bruised reed;
-\q he will not quench any smoking flax,
-\q until he leads justice to victory,
+\q2 he will not quench any smoking flax,
+\q2 until he leads justice to victory,
+\q
 \v 21 and in his name the Gentiles will have hope."
 
 \s5
@@ -905,7 +926,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 43 When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it.
-\v 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order.
+\v 44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds the house empty—it had been swept clean and put in order.
 \v 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first. It will be just like that with this evil generation."
 
 \s5
@@ -944,19 +965,26 @@
 \v 12 For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 This is why I talk to them in parables: Though they are seeing, they do not see; and though they are hearing, they do not hear, or understand.
+\v 13 This is why I talk to them in parables: 
+\b
+\q Though they are seeing, 
+\q2 they do not see; 
+\q and though they are hearing, 
+\q2 they do not hear, or understand.
+\p
 \v 14 To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, that which says,
-\q 'While hearing you will hear, but you will in no way understand;
-\q while seeing you will see, but you will in no way perceive.
+\b
+\q 'Listening, you will hear, but you will never understand;
+\q2 seeing, you will see, but you will never know.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
-\q and with their ears they hardly hear,
-\q and they have shut their eyes.
+\q2 and with their ears they hardly hear,
+\q2 and they have shut their eyes.
 \q Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
-\q and hear with their ears,
-\q and understand with their heart and turn again,
+\q2 and hear with their ears,
+\q2 and understand with their heart and turn again,
 \q and I would heal them."'
 
 \s5
@@ -1004,8 +1032,9 @@
 \p
 \v 34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; and he said nothing to them without a parable.
 \v 35 This was in order that what had been said through the prophet might be fulfilled, when he said,
+\q
 \q "I will open my mouth in parables.
-\q I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world."
+\q2 I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1065,7 +1094,7 @@
 \p
 \v 3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.
 \v 4 For John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her as your wife."
-\v 5 Herod would have killed him off, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet.
+\v 5 Herod would have killed him, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1087,7 +1116,7 @@
 \v 14 Then Jesus came before them and saw the large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed their sick.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 When the evening had come, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour has already gone away. Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
+\v 15 When the evening had come, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour has already passed. Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1150,15 +1179,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,
+\b
 \q
 \v 8 'This people honors me with their lips,
-\q but their heart is far from me.
+\q2 but their heart is far from me.
 \q
 \v 9 They worship me in vain
-\q because they teach as their doctrines the commandments of people.'"
-\m
+\q2 because they teach as their doctrines the commandments of people.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 10 Then he called the crowd to himself and said to them, "Listen and understand—
 \v 11 Nothing that enters into the mouth defiles a person. Instead, what comes out of the mouth, this is what defiles a person."
@@ -1206,7 +1236,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 29 Jesus left that place and went near to the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a hill and sat there.
-\v 30 Large crowds came to him. They brought with them lame, blind, mute, and crippled people, and many others who were sick. They presented them at Jesus's feet, and he healed them.
+\v 30 Large crowds came to him. They brought with them lame, blind, mute, and crippled people, and many others who were sick. They presented them at Jesus' feet, and he healed them.
 \v 31 So the crowd marveled when they saw the mute persons speak, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They glorified the God of Israel.
 
 \s5
@@ -1238,18 +1268,18 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
-\v 6 Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
+\v 6 Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
 \p
 \v 7 The disciples reasoned among themselves and said, "It is because we took no bread."
 \p
 \v 8 Jesus was aware of this and said, "You of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves and say that it is because you have taken no bread?
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Do you not yet perceive or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered up?
+\v 9 Do you not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered up?
 \v 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
 
 \s5
-\v 11 How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
+\v 11 How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
 \v 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of yeast in bread, but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
 
 \s5
@@ -1352,7 +1382,7 @@
 \p
 \v 26 "From others," Peter answered.
 \p "Then the sons are free," Jesus said.
-\v 27 But so that we do not cause the tax collectors to sin, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and draw in the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to the tax collectors for me and you."
+\v 27 But so that we do not cause the tax collectors to stumble, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and draw in the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to the tax collectors for me and you."
 
 \s5
 \c 18
@@ -1365,7 +1395,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
 \v 5 Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name receives me.
-\v 6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a great millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be sunk into the depths of the sea.
+\v 6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a large millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be sunk into the depths of the sea.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1373,7 +1403,7 @@
 \v 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire having two hands or two feet.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into the hell of fire having both eyes.
+\v 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into the fiery hell having both eyes.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 See that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always look on the face of my Father who is in heaven.
@@ -1386,7 +1416,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 "If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have gained your brother.
+\v 15 "If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have gained your brother.
 \v 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be confirmed.
 
 \s5
@@ -1451,7 +1481,8 @@
 \v 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce and then to send her away?"
 \p
 \v 8 He said to them, "For your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not that way.
-\v 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and the man who marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."
+\v 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." \f + \ft The best ancient copies do not have \fqa and the man who marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery \fqa* . \f*
+
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1539,7 +1570,7 @@
 \v 14 Take what belongs to you and go your way. I choose to give to these last hired laborers just the same as to you.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 Is it not lawful for me to do as I want with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'
+\v 15 Is it not lawful for me to do as I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am good?'
 \v 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." \f + \ft The best ancient copies do not have \fqa Many are called, but few are chosen \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
@@ -1551,6 +1582,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down before him and asked for something from him.
+\p
 \v 21 Jesus said to her, "What do you wish?"
 \p She said to him, "Command that these my two sons may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your kingdom."
 
@@ -1591,13 +1623,15 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 4 Now all this happened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,
+\b
+\q
 \v 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion,
-\q 'See, your King is coming to you,
+\q2 'See, your King is coming to you,
 \q Humble and riding on a donkey—
-\q on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
-\m
+\q2 on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 6 Then the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them.
 \v 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat upon the cloaks.
@@ -1605,6 +1639,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Then the crowds that went before Jesus and those that followed him were shouting,
+\b
 \q "Hosanna to the son of David!
 \q Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
 \q Hosanna in the highest!"
@@ -1625,7 +1660,11 @@
 \v 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things that he did, and when they heard the children shouting in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became very angry.
 \p
 \v 16 They said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?"
-\p Jesus said to them, "Yes! But have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of little children and nursing infants you have prepared praise'?"
+\p Jesus said to them, "Yes! But have you never read, 
+\b
+\q 'Out of the mouths of little children and nursing infants 
+\q2 you have prepared praise'?"
+\b
 \p
 \v 17 Then Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.
 
@@ -1685,18 +1724,19 @@
 \s5
 \v 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine growers?"
 \p
-\v 41 They said to him, "He will destroy those wicked men and make them wretched, and he will then rent out the vineyard to other vine growers, men who will give him his share of crops at the harvest time."
+\v 41 They said to him, "He will violently destroy those wicked people, and he will then rent out the vineyard to other vine growers, men who will give him his share of crops at the harvest time."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures,
+\b
 \q 'The stone which the builders rejected
-\q has been made the cornerstone.
+\q2 has been made the cornerstone.
 \q This was from the Lord,
-\q and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
-\m
+\q2 and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that produces its fruits.
 \v 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But anyone on whom it falls will be crushed."
 
@@ -1795,13 +1835,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 43 Jesus said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
+\b
 \q
 \v 44 'The Lord said to my Lord,
-\q "Sit at my right hand,
-\q until I make your enemies your footstool"'?
-\m
+\q2 "Sit at my right hand,
+\q2 until I make your enemies your footstool"'?
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 45 If David then calls the Christ 'Lord,' how is he David's son?"
 \v 46 No one was able to answer him a word, and no man dared ask him any more questions from that day on.
 
@@ -1809,7 +1850,7 @@
 \c 23
 \p
 \v 1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.
-\v 2 He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.
+\v 2 He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
 \v 3 Therefore whatever they command you to do, do these things and observe them. But do not imitate their deeds, for they say things but then do not do them.
 
 \s5
@@ -1821,7 +1862,7 @@
 \v 7 and special greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 But you must not be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all you are brothers.
+\v 8 But you must not be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers.
 \v 9 And call no man on earth your father, for you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.
 \v 10 Neither must you be called 'teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Christ.
 
@@ -1868,7 +1909,7 @@
 \p
 \v 29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous.
 \v 30 You say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
-\v 31 Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets.
+\v 31 Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 You also fill up the measure of your fathers.
@@ -1876,7 +1917,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 34 Therefore, see, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will whip in your synagogues and chase from city to city.
-\v 35 The result is that upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.
+\v 35 The result is that upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
 \v 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
 
 \s5
@@ -1938,7 +1979,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
+\v 29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days 
+\b
+\q the sun will be darkened, 
+\q2 the moon will not give its light, 
+\q the stars will fall from the sky, 
+\q2 and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
 
 \s5
 \v 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
@@ -2013,7 +2059,7 @@
 \p
 \v 14 "For it is like when a man was about to go into another country. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
 \v 15 To one of them he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to yet another he gave one talent. Each one received an amount according to his own ability, and that man went on his journey.
-\v 16 The one who received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained another five talents.
+\v 16 The one who received the five talents went at once and worked with them and gained another five talents.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 In the same way, the one who had received two talents gained another two.
@@ -2146,13 +2192,14 @@
 \p
 \v 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
 \v 31 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away tonight because of me, for it is written,
+\b
 \q 'I will strike the shepherd
-\q and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
+\q2 and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
 \m
 \v 32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 33 But Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."
 \p
@@ -2198,7 +2245,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like a robber? Every day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me.
-\v 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
+\v 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples abandoned him and fled.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2221,7 +2268,7 @@
 \p
 \v 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
 \v 66 What do you think?"
-\p They answered and said, "He is worthy of death."
+\p They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."
 
 \s5
 \v 67 Then they spit in his face and beat him with their fists, while some slapped him
@@ -2311,7 +2358,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the government headquarters and gathered the whole company of soldiers.
+\v 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the government headquarters and they gathered the whole company of soldiers.
 \v 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.
 \v 29 They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. They knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
 
@@ -2342,12 +2389,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 43 He trusts in God, let God rescue him now, if God consents to release him. For he even said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
-\v 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also reproached him.
+\v 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also insulted him.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 45 Now from the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
-\v 46 About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
+\v 46 About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
 \p
 \v 47 When some of those who were standing there heard it, they said, "He is calling for Elijah."
 
@@ -2392,7 +2439,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 28
 \p
-\v 1 Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
+\v 1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
 \v 2 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it.
 
 \s5
@@ -2414,7 +2461,7 @@
 \p
 \v 11 Now while the women were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.
 \v 12 When the priests had met with the elders and discussed the matter with them, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers
-\v 13 and told them, "Say to others, 'Jesus's disciples came by night and stole his body while we were sleeping.'
+\v 13 and told them, "Say to others, 'The disciples of Jesus came by night and stole his body while we were sleeping.'
 
 \s5
 \v 14 If this report reaches the governor, we will persuade him and take any worries away from you."

42-MRK.usfm

@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@
 \v 1 This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
 \p
 \v 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
-\q "Look, I am sending my messenger before your face,
-\q the one who will prepare your way.
+\q2 "Look, I am sending my messenger before your face,
+\q2 the one who will prepare your way.
 \q
 \v 3 The voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
-\q 'Make ready the way of the Lord;
-\q make his paths straight.'"
-\m
+\q2 'Make ready the way of the Lord;
+\q2 make his paths straight.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 4 John came, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
 \v 5 The whole country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Then the Spirit compelled him to go out into the wilderness.
-\v 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels served him.
+\v 13 He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels served him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 As Jesus was walking on a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and John his brother; they were in the boat mending the nets.
-\v 20 He called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and they followed him.
+\v 20 He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and they followed him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -108,13 +108,13 @@
 \v 44 He said to him, "Be sure to say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
 
 \s5
-\v 45 But he went out and began to declare it freely and spread the word about, so much so that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but he stayed out in remote places. Yet people were still coming to him from everywhere.
+\v 45 But he went out and began to declare it freely and spread the word, so much so that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but he stayed out in remote places. Yet people were still coming to him from everywhere.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 When he came back to Capernaum after a few days, it was heard that he was at home.
-\v 2 So many gathered there that there was no more space, not even at the door, and Jesus spoke the word to them.
+\v 1 When Jesus came back to Capernaum after a few days, it was heard that he was at home.
+\v 2 So many gathered there that there was no more space, not even at the door, and he spoke the word to them.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Then some men came to him who were bringing a paralyzed man; four people were carrying him.
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 On the Sabbath day Jesus went through some grainfields, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain.
+\v 23 On the Sabbath day Jesus went through some grainfields, and his disciples began picking heads of grain as they made their way.
 \v 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing something that is not lawful on the Sabbath day?"
 
 \s5
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 23 Jesus called them to him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
+\v 23 Jesus called them to himself and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
 \v 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
 \v 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
 
@@ -272,15 +272,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 When Jesus was alone, those who were close to him and with the twelve asked him about the parables.
+\v 10 When Jesus was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
 \v 11 He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside everything is in parables,
 \q
-\v 12 so that when they look, yes they look, but do not see, and so that when they hear, yes they hear, but do not understand, or else they would turn and God would forgive them."
+\v 12 so that when they look,
+\q2 yes they look,
+\q2 but do not see,
+\q and so that when they hear,
+\q2 yes they hear,
+\q2 but do not understand,
+\q or else they would turn
+\q2 and God would forgive them."
+
+\s5
 \m
-
-\s5
-
-\s5
 \p
 \v 13 He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?"
 \v 14 The sower sows the word.
@@ -344,7 +349,7 @@
 \c 5
 \p
 \v 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.
-\v 2 When Jesus was getting out of the boat, immediately there came up to him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
+\v 2 When Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came up to him out of the tombs. 
 
 \s5
 \v 3 The man lived in the tombs. No one could restrain him anymore, not even with a chain.
@@ -460,7 +465,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 King Herod heard this, for Jesus's name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."
+\v 14 King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."
 \v 15 Some others said, "He is Elijah." Still others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets in ancient times."
 
 \s5
@@ -476,7 +481,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 Then a convenient day came when Herod had his birthday and he made a dinner for his officials and for the commanders and leaders of Galilee.
+\v 21 Then an opportunity came when Herod had his birthday and he made a dinner for his officials and for the commanders and leaders of Galilee.
 \v 22 The daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced for them, and she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you."
 
 \s5
@@ -557,7 +562,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 2 They saw that some of his disciples ate bread with hands that were unclean, that is, unwashed.
-\v 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, because they hold to the tradition of the elders.
+\v 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands carefully, because they hold to the tradition of the elders.
 \v 4 When the Pharisees come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they bathe themselves, and they hold to many other things they have received, such as the washing of cups, pots, copper vessels, and the couches upon which they eat.)
 
 \s5
@@ -567,13 +572,13 @@
 \p
 \v 6 But he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied well about you hypocrites. As it is written,
 \q 'This people honors me with their lips,
-\q but their heart is far from me.
+\q2 but their heart is far from me.
 \q
 \v 7 In vain they worship me,
-\q teaching the commands of men as their doctrines.'
-\m
+\q2 teaching the commands of men as their doctrines.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold on to the tradition of men."
 \v 9 He also said to them, "How well you reject the commandment of God so you may keep your tradition!
 \v 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother will surely be put to death.'
@@ -590,7 +595,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Now when Jesus left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.
-\v 18 Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not perceive that whatever enters into a person from outside cannot defile him,
+\v 18 Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not know that whatever enters into a person from outside cannot defile him,
 \v 19 because it cannot go into his heart, but it goes into his stomach and then passes out into the latrine?" With this statement Jesus declared all foods clean.
 
 \s5
@@ -848,12 +853,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 7 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
+\v 7 'For this reason
+\q2 a man will leave his father and mother
+\q2 and be united to his wife,
+\q
 \v 8 and the two will become one flesh.'
 \m So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
 \v 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no man tear apart."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 10 When they were in the house, the disciples asked him again about this.
 \v 11 He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
 \v 12 If she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
@@ -861,7 +870,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Then they brought their little children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
-\v 14 But when Jesus noticed it, he was indignant and said to them, "Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them.
+\v 14 But when Jesus noticed it, he was angry and said to them, "Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will definitely not enter it."
@@ -872,7 +881,7 @@
 \v 17 When he began his journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
 \p
 \v 18 Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
-\v 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
+\v 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -917,7 +926,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 38 But Jesus replied to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I will drink or endure the baptism with which I will be baptized?"
+\v 38 But Jesus replied to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I will drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I will be baptized?"
 \p
 \v 39 They said to him, "We are able."
 \p Jesus said to them, "The cup that I will drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you also will be baptized.
@@ -968,10 +977,11 @@
 \v 7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.
 \v 8 Many people spread their garments on the road, and others spread branches they had cut from the fields.
 \v 9 Those who went before him and those who followed shouted,
-\q "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
+\q "Hosanna! Blessed is the one
+\q2 who comes in the name of the Lord.
 \q
 \v 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
-\q Hosanna in the highest!"
+\q2 Hosanna in the highest!"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -989,7 +999,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 He taught them and said, "Is it not written,
-\q 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'?
+\q 'My house will be called
+\q2 a house of prayer for all the nations'?
 \m But you have made it a den of robbers."
 \p
 \v 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard what he had said, and they looked for a way to destroy him. For they feared him because the entire crowd was amazed at his teaching.
@@ -1049,10 +1060,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 10 Have you not read this scripture?
 \q 'The stone which the builders rejected
-\q has been made the cornerstone.
+\q2 has been made the cornerstone.
 \q
 \v 11 This was from the Lord,
-\q and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"
+\q2 and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"
 \m
 \p
 \v 12 After this the Jewish leaders sought a way to arrest Jesus because they understood that he spoke the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. So they left him and went away.
@@ -1073,12 +1084,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Then Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying,
-\v 19 "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, but no child, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up seed for his brother.'
+\v 19 "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, but had no child, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up children for his brother.'
 
 \s5
-\v 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and then died, leaving no seed.
-\v 21 Then the second took her and died, leaving no seed, and the third in the same way.
-\v 22 The seven left no seed. Last of all, the woman also died.
+\v 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and then died, having no children.
+\v 21 Then the second took her and died, leaving no child, and the third in the same way.
+\v 22 The seven left no children. Last of all, the woman also died.
 \v 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven brothers had her as their wife."
 
 \s5
@@ -1110,8 +1121,8 @@
 \v 35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, "How is it that the scribes say the Christ is the son of David?
 \v 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, said,
 \q 'The Lord said to my Lord,
-\q "Sit at my right hand
-\q until I make your enemies your footstool."'
+\q2 "Sit at my right hand
+\q2 until I put your enemies under your feet."'
 \m
 \v 37 David himself calls him 'Lord,' so how can the Christ be David's son?" The large crowd gladly listened to him.
 
@@ -1168,7 +1179,7 @@
 \v 16 and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 But woe to those with children in the womb and to those who are nursing infants in those days!
+\v 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!
 \v 18 Pray that it might not occur in the winter.
 \v 19 For those will be days of great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation, which God created, until now, no, nor ever will be again.
 \v 20 Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those whom he chose, he cut short the days.
@@ -1181,11 +1192,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 24 "But after the tribulation of those days,
-\q 'the sun will be darkened,
-\q the moon will not give its light,
+\q2 'the sun will be darkened,
+\q2 the moon will not give its light,
 \q
 \v 25 the stars will fall from the sky,
-\q and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.'
+\q2 and the powers that are in the heavens
+\q2 will be shaken.'
 \m
 \v 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
 \v 27 Then he will send his angels and he will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.
@@ -1269,10 +1281,10 @@
 \v 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
 \v 27 Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away, for it is written,
 \q 'I will strike the shepherd
-\q and the sheep will be scattered.'
-\m
+\q2 and the sheep will be scattered.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 28 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
 \p
 \v 29 Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away, I will not."
@@ -1281,7 +1293,7 @@
 \p
 \v 30 Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today—yes, this very night—before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times."
 \p
-\v 31 But Peter said, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." They all made the same promise.
+\v 31 But Peter said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." They all made the same promise.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1319,13 +1331,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 51 A young man, wearing only a linen garment that was wrapped around him, was following Jesus. When the men seized him
+\v 51 A young man, wearing only a linen garment that was wrapped around him, was following Jesus. When the men seized him,
 \v 52 he left the linen garment and ran away naked.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 53 They led Jesus to the high priest. There were gathered with him all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.
-\v 54 Now Peter followed him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He sat among the officers, who were near a fire to keep warm.
+\v 54 Now Peter followed him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He sat among the officers, warming himself near the fire.
 
 \s5
 \v 55 Now the chief priests and the entire Jewish council were seeking testimony against Jesus so they might put him to death. But they did not find any.
@@ -1345,9 +1357,9 @@
 \q and you will see the Son of Man
 \q2 when he sits at the right hand of power
 \q2 and comes with the clouds of heaven."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 63 The high priest tore his garments and said, "Do we still need witnesses?
 \v 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?" They all condemned him as one who deserved death.
@@ -1359,7 +1371,7 @@
 \v 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came to him.
 \v 67 She saw Peter warming himself, and she looked closely at him and said, "You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus."
 \p
-\v 68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." Then he went out into the gateway. \f + \ft Some ancient copies add, \fqa Then the rooster crowed, \fqa* but the best ancient copies do not have this phrase. \f*
+\v 68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." Then he went out into the gateway. And the rooster crowed. \f + \ft Some ancient copies do not have, \fqa And the rooster crowed \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1376,7 +1388,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 15
 \p
-\v 1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the entire Jewish council, held a consultation. Then they bound Jesus and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate.
+\v 1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the entire Jewish council consulted together. Then they bound Jesus and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate.
 \v 2 Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
 \p He answered him, "You say so."
 \v 3 The chief priests were accusing him of many things.
@@ -1388,8 +1400,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Now at the time of the festival, Pilate usually released to them one prisoner, a prisoner they requested,
-\v 7 and there was a man called Barabbas in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.
+\v 6 Now at the time of the festival, Pilate usually released to them one prisoner, a prisoner they requested.
+\v 7 There was a man called Barabbas in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.
 \v 8 The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to do for them as he had done in the past.
 
 \s5
@@ -1410,7 +1422,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 The soldiers led him inside the courtyard (which is the government headquarters), and they called together the whole cohort of soldiers.
+\v 16 The soldiers led him inside the courtyard (which is the government headquarters), and they called together the whole company of soldiers.
 \v 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus, and they twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him.
 \v 18 They began to salute him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
 
@@ -1432,18 +1444,18 @@
 \v 28 \f + \ft The best ancient copies do not have Mark 15:28, \fqa The scripture was fulfilled that says, 'He was counted with the lawless ones,'
 
 \s5
-\v 29 Those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
+\v 29 Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
 \v 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!"
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 31 In the same way the chief priests were mocking him with each other, along with the scribes, and said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself.
-\v 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reproached him.
+\v 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 33 At the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
-\v 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is interpreted, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
+\v 34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is interpreted, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
 \v 35 Some of those standing by heard his words and said, "Look, he is calling for Elijah."
 
 \s5
@@ -1455,7 +1467,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 39 When the centurion who stood and faced Jesus saw that he had died in this way, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God."
-\v 40 There were also women who looked on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joses) \f + \ft The man called \fqa Joses \fqa* here is called \fqa Joseph \fqa* in Mark 6:3. The name \fqa Joseph \fqa* represents how the name was spelled in Hebrew, and the name \fqa Joses \fqa* represents how his name was spelled in Greek. \f* , and Salome.
+\v 40 There were also women who looked on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joses), \f + \ft The man called \fqa Joses \fqa* here is called \fqa Joseph \fqa* in Mark 6:3. The name \fqa Joseph \fqa* represents how the name was spelled in Hebrew, and the name \fqa Joses \fqa* represents how his name was spelled in Greek. \f* and Salome.
 \v 41 When he was in Galilee they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.
 
 \s5
@@ -1472,7 +1484,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 16
 \p
-\v 1 When the Sabbath day was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices that they might come and anoint Jesus's body.
+\v 1 When the Sabbath day was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices that they might come and anoint Jesus' body.
 \v 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb when the sun had come up.
 
 \s5
@@ -1501,7 +1513,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 14 Jesus later appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table, and he reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he rose from the dead.
+\v 14 Jesus later appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he rose from the dead.
 \v 15 He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the entire creation.
 \v 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, and he who does not believe will be condemned.
 
@@ -1511,6 +1523,6 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 After the Lord had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
+\v 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
 \v 20 The disciples left and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the signs that went with them.] \f + \ft See the note on Mark 16:9. \f*
 

43-LUK.usfm

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 In the days of Herod king of Judea there was a certain priest named Zechariah from the division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
-\v 6 They were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
+\v 6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
 \v 7 But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days.
 
 \s5
@@ -96,38 +96,42 @@
 \p
 \v 46 Mary said,
 \q "My soul praises the Lord,
-\q
+\q2
 \v 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 48 For he has looked at the low condition of his female servant.
+\v 48 For he has looked
+\q2 at the low condition of his female servant.
 \q For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
-\q
+\q2
 \v 49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
-\q and his name is holy.
+\q2 and his name is holy.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 50 His mercy lasts from generation to generation for those who fear him.
+\v 50 His mercy lasts from generation to generation
+\q2 for those who fear him.
 \q
 \v 51 He has displayed strength with his arm;
-\q he has scattered those who were proud about the thoughts of their hearts.
+\q2 he has scattered those who were proud
+\q2 about the thoughts of their hearts.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 52 He has thrown down princes from their thrones
-\q and he has raised up those of low condition.
+\q2 and he has raised up those of low condition.
 \q
 \v 53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
-\q but the rich he has sent away empty-handed.
+\q2 but the rich he has sent away empty-handed.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 54 He has given help to Israel his servant,
-\q so as to remember to show mercy
+\q2 so as to remember to show mercy
 \q
-\v 55 (as he said to our fathers) to Abraham and his descendants forever."
+\v 55 (as he said to our fathers)
+\q2 to Abraham and his descendants forever."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -156,46 +160,56 @@
 \v 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
 \q
 \v 68 "Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel,
-\q for he has come to help and he has accomplished redemption for his people.
+\q2 for he has come to help
+\q2 and he has accomplished redemption for his people.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
-\q in the house of his servant David
+\q2 in the house of his servant David
 \q
 \v 70 (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago),
-\q
+\q2
 \v 71 salvation from our enemies
-\q and from the hand of all who hate us.
+\q2 and from the hand of all who hate us.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 72 He will do this to show mercy to our fathers
-\q and to remember his holy covenant,
+\q2 and to remember his holy covenant,
 \q
-\v 73 the oath that he swore to Abraham our father.
+\v 73 the oath that he swore
+\q2 to Abraham our father.
 \q
-\v 74 He swore to grant to us that we, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
-\q would serve him without fear
+\v 74 He swore to grant to us that we,
+\q2 having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
+\q2 would serve him without fear
 \q
-\v 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
+\v 75 in holiness and righteousness
+\q2 before him all our days.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 76 Yes, and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
-\q for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his paths,
-\q to prepare people for his coming,
+\v 76 Yes, and you, child,
+\q2 will be called a prophet of the Most High,
+\q for you will go before the face of the Lord
+\q2 to prepare his paths,
+\q2 to prepare people for his coming,
 \q
 \v 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
-\q by the forgiveness of their sins.
+\q2 by the forgiveness of their sins.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 78 This will happen because of the tender mercy of our God,
-\q because of which the sunrise from on high will come to help us,
+\v 78 This will happen because
+\q2 of the tender mercy of our God,
+\q because of which the sunrise
+\q2 from on high will come to help us,
 \q
-\v 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
-\q He will do this to guide our feet into the path of peace."
+\v 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness
+\q2 and in the shadow of death.
+\q He will do this to guide our feet
+\q2 into the path of peace."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -230,7 +244,9 @@
 \v 13 Suddenly there was together with the angel a great multitude from heaven, praising God and saying,
 \q1
 \p
-\v 14 "Glory to God in the highest, \q1 and may there be peace on earth \q1 among people with whom he is pleased." \f + \ft Some ancient Greek copies have different spellings that suggest two possible meanings of the last phrase of verse 14, the second being preferred. The suggestions are: \fqa good will toward people \fqa* or \fqa among people with whom he (God) is pleased \fqa* . \f*
+\v 14 "Glory to God in the highest,
+\q2 and may there be peace on earth
+\q2 among people with whom he is pleased." \f + \ft Some ancient Greek copies have different spellings that suggest two possible meanings of the last phrase of verse 14, the second being preferred. The suggestions are: \fqa good will toward people \fqa* or \fqa among people with whom he (God) is pleased \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -262,15 +278,17 @@
 \v 28 he took him into his arms and praised God, and he said,
 \q1
 \p
-\v 29 "Now let your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to your word.
+\v 29 "Now let your servant depart in peace, Lord, 
+\q2 according to your word.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
-\q1
+\q2
 \v 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
 \q1
-\v 32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel."
+\v 32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles
+\q2 and glory to your people Israel."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -302,7 +320,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 48 When they saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
-\v 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business? \f + \ft Some scholars translate "about my Father's business" as \fqa in my Father's house \fqa . \f*
+\v 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business? \f + \ft Some scholars translate "about my Father's business" as \fqa in my Father's house. \fqa \f*
 \v 50 But they did not understand what he meant by those words.
 
 \s5
@@ -322,15 +340,15 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
 \q1 "A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
-\q1 'Make ready the way of the Lord,
-\q1 make his paths straight.
+\q2 'Make ready the way of the Lord,
+\q2 make his paths straight.
 
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 5 Every valley will be filled,
-\q1 and every mountain and hill will be made low,
+\q2 and every mountain and hill will be made low,
 \q1 and the crooked roads will be made straight,
-\q1 and the uneven places will be built into roads,
+\q2 and the uneven places will be built into roads,
 \q1
 \v 6 and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'"
 
@@ -413,7 +431,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 36 Shelah was the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
 \p
-\v 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
+\v 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
 \v 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
 
 \s5
@@ -441,10 +459,11 @@
 \p
 \v 9 Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on the very highest point of the temple building, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.
 \v 10 For it is written,
-\q1 'He will give orders to his angels regarding you, to protect you,'
+\q1 'He will give orders to his angels regarding you,
+\q2 to protect you,'
 \q1
 \v 11 and, 'They will lift you up in their hands,
-\q1 so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
+\q2 so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -465,11 +484,12 @@
 \s5
 \q1
 \v 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
-\q1 because he anointed me to announce good news to the poor.
+\q2 because he anointed me
+\q2 to announce good news to the poor.
 \q1 He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives
-\q1 and recovery of sight to the blind,
-\q1 to set free those who are oppressed,
-\q1
+\q2 and recovery of sight to the blind,
+\q2 to set free those who are oppressed,
+\q2
 \v 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
 
 \s5
@@ -542,10 +562,9 @@
 \v 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat that they should come and help them. They came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus's knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."
-\v 9 For amazement had seized him and all who were with him at the catch of fish which they had taken,
-
-\v 10 and also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
+\v 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."
+\v 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish which they had taken.   
+\v 10 And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 
 \p Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid, because from now on you will catch men."
 \v 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
 
@@ -578,7 +597,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 But Jesus, perceiving what they were thinking, answered and said to them, "Why are you questioning this in your hearts?
+\v 22 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, answered and said to them, "Why are you questioning this in your hearts?
 \v 23 Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say 'Get up and walk'?
 \v 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—he said to the paralyzed man—"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go to your house."
 
@@ -624,7 +643,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Answering them, Jesus said, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and the men who were with him?
-\v 4 He went into the house of God and took the consecrated bread and ate some of it, and also gave some to the men who were with him to eat, even though it was only lawful for the priests to eat it."
+\v 4 He went into the house of God and took the bread of the presence and ate some of it, and also gave some to the men who were with him to eat, even though it was only lawful for the priests to eat it."
 \v 5 Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
 
 \s5
@@ -655,19 +674,38 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 Then he looked at his disciples and said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
-\v 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
+\v 20 Then he looked at his disciples and said,
+\q "Blessed are you who are poor,
+\q2 for yours is the kingdom of God.
+\q
+\v 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, 
+\q2 for you will be filled.
+\q Blessed are you who weep now,
+\q2 for you will laugh.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and reproach you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
+\q
+\v 22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
+\q2 and when they exclude you and insult you
+\q and reject your name as evil,
+\q2 because of the Son of Man.
+\p
 \v 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because you will surely have a great reward in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
-\v 25 Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry later. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep later.
+\q
+\v 24 But woe to you who are rich,
+\q2 for you have already received your comfort.
+\q
+\v 25 Woe to you who are full now,
+\q2 for you will be hungry later. 
+\q Woe to you who laugh now,
+\q2 for you will mourn and weep later.
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
+\q
+\v 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
+\q2 for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -681,8 +719,8 @@
 \s5
 \v 31 As you want people to do to you, you should do the same to them.
 \v 32 If you only love people who love you, what reward is there for you? For even sinners love those who love them.
-\v 33 If you do good only to people who do good to you, what reward will there be for you? For even sinners do the same.
-\v 34 If you only lend to people from whom you hope to be repaid, what reward will there be for you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back the same amount.
+\v 33 If you do good only to people who do good to you, what reward is there for you? For even sinners do the same.
+\v 34 If you only lend to people from whom you hope to be repaid, what reward is there for you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back the same amount.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 But love your enemies and do good to them. Lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind toward unthankful and evil people.
@@ -700,7 +738,7 @@
 \v 40 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
 
 \s5
-\v 41 Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not perceive the log that is in your own eye?
+\v 41 Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
 \v 42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not even see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye.
 
 \s5
@@ -787,7 +825,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
-\v 32 They are like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a funeral song, and you did not cry.'
+\v 32 They are like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another and say,
+\q 'We played a flute for you,
+\q2 and you did not dance.
+\q We sang a funeral song,
+\q2 and you did not cry.'
 
 \s5
 \v 33 For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'
@@ -849,7 +891,9 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
-\v 10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but for others I speak in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'
+\v 10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but for others I speak in parables, so that
+\q 'seeing they may not see,
+\q2 and hearing they may not understand.'
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
@@ -878,7 +922,7 @@
 \v 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep. A terrible windstorm came down on the lake, and their boat was filling with water, and they were in danger.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Then Jesus's disciples came over to him and woke him up, saying, "Master! Master! We are about to die!"
+\v 24 Then Jesus' disciples came over to him and woke him up, saying, "Master! Master! We are about to die!"
 \p He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm.
 \v 25 Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?"
 \p But they were afraid and amazed, and they asked one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"
@@ -918,7 +962,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.
-\v 41 Behold, a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders of the synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus's feet, and he begged him to come to his house
+\v 41 Behold, a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders of the synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus' feet, and he begged him to come to his house
 \v 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve years of age, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds of people pressed together around him.
 
 \s5
@@ -1011,7 +1055,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
-\v 27 But I say to you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
+\v 27 But truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1189,15 +1233,14 @@
 \p
 \v 2 Jesus said to them, "When you pray say,
 \q 'Father, may your name be honored as holy.
-\q2 May your kingdom come.
+\q May your kingdom come.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 3 Give us our daily bread each day.
 \q
 \v 4 Forgive us our sins,
-\q2 as we forgive everyone
-\q2 who is in debt to us.
+\q2 as we forgive everyone who is in debt to us.
 \q Do not lead us into temptation.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -1238,7 +1281,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest. Finding none, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'
-\v 25 Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order.
+\v 25 Having returned, it finds the house had been swept clean and put in order.
 \v 26 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first."
 
 \s5
@@ -1262,7 +1305,7 @@
 \p
 \v 33 No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.
 \v 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness.
-\v 35 Therefore, take heed that the light in you is not darkness.
+\v 35 Therefore, watch out that the light in you is not darkness.
 \v 36 If then your whole body is full of light, not having any member in darkness, then your whole body will be like when a lamp shines its brightness on you."
 
 \s5
@@ -1293,9 +1336,9 @@
 \v 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the works of your ancestors, for they indeed killed them and you build their tombs.
 
 \s5
-\v 49 For this reason also, God's wisdom said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and they will persecute and kill some of them,'
-\v 50 so that all the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world this will be charged against this generation,
-\v 51 from Abel's blood to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it will be charged against this generation.
+\v 49 For this reason also, God's wisdom said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and they will persecute and kill some of them.'
+\v 50 As a result, this generation will be charged for all the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,
+\v 51 from Abel's blood to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, this generation will be held responsible.
 
 \s5
 \v 52 Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key of knowledge; you do not enter in yourselves, and you hinder those who are entering."
@@ -1303,7 +1346,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 53 After Jesus left there, the scribes and the Pharisees opposed him and argued with him about many things,
-\v 54 lying in wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.
+\v 54 lying in wait to catch him in something he might say.
 
 \s5
 \c 12
@@ -1354,12 +1397,12 @@
 \v 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 Take notice of the ravens, that they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn, but God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
+\v 24 Think about the ravens, that they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn, but God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
 \v 25 Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his lifespan?
 \v 26 If then you are not able to do such a very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
 
 \s5
-\v 27 Take notice of the lilies—how they grow. They do not labor, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
+\v 27 Think about the lilies—how they grow. They do not labor, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
 \v 28 If God so clothes the grass in the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
 
 \s5
@@ -1472,7 +1515,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 Again he said, "To what can I compare the kingdom of God?
-\v 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour all the flour was leavened."
+\v 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the flour was leavened."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1487,7 +1530,7 @@
 \p
 \v 26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank in front of you and you taught in our streets.'
 \p
-\v 27 "But he will reply, 'I say to you, I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, you who commit iniquity!'
+\v 27 "But he will reply, 'I say to you, I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, all you workers of unrighteousness!'
 
 \s5
 \v 28 There will be crying and the grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you are thrown out.
@@ -1635,7 +1678,7 @@
 \p
 \v 25 "Now his older son was out in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
 \v 26 He called to one of the servants and asked what these things might be.
-\v 27 The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come home and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him healthy.'
+\v 27 The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come home and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him in good health.'
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1660,25 +1703,26 @@
 \v 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my management job, people will welcome me into their houses.'
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Then the manager called for each one of his master's debtors, and he asked the first one, 'How much do you owe to my master?'
 \p
-\v 6 "He said, 'A hundred baths of olive oil.'
-\p "He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.'
+\v 5 "Then the manager called for each one of his master's debtors, and he asked the first one, 'How much do you owe to my master?'
+\v 6 He said, 'A hundred baths of olive oil.'  He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.'
 \p
-\v 7 "Then the manager said to another, 'How much do you owe?'
-\p "He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'
+\v 7 "Then the manager said to another, 'How much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'
 
 \s5
-\v 8 The master then commended the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own people than are the sons of light.
+\p
+\v 8 "The master then commended the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own people than are the sons of light.
 \v 9 I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 He who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and he who is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.
+\p
+\v 10 "He who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and he who is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.
 \v 11 If you have not been faithful in using unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?
 \v 12 If you have not been faithful in using other people's property, who will give you money of your own?
 
 \s5
-\v 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
+\p
+\v 13 "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1758,7 +1802,7 @@
 \p
 \v 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." As they went away they were cleansed.
 \v 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God.
-\v 16 He fell on his face at Jesus's feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
+\v 16 He fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Then Jesus said, "Were not the ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
@@ -1845,7 +1889,7 @@
 \v 18 A certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
 \p
 \v 19 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone.
-\v 20 You know the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not testify falsely, honor your father and mother."
+\v 20 You know the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not testify falsely, honor your father and mother."
 \p
 \v 21 The ruler said, "All these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth."
 
@@ -1972,7 +2016,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 29 It came about that when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the hill that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
+\v 29 It came about that when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the mountain that is called Olives, he sent two of the disciples,
 \v 30 saying, "Go into the next village. As you enter, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.
 \v 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.'"
 
@@ -1987,9 +2031,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 37 As he was now approaching the place where the Mount of Olives descends, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen,
-\p
-\v 38 saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
+\v 37 As he was now approaching the place where the Mount of Olives descends, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, 
+\q
+\v 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
+\q2 Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2059,7 +2104,8 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 But Jesus looked at them, and said, "What is the meaning of that which is written:
-\q 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?
+\q 'The stone that the builders rejected
+\q2 has become the cornerstone'?
 \m
 \v 18 Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed."
 
@@ -2086,7 +2132,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 27 When some of the Sadducees came to him, the ones who say that there is no resurrection,
-\v 28 they asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and being childless, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.
+\v 28 they asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and being childless, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up children for his brother.
 
 \s5
 \v 29 There were seven brothers and the first took a wife, and died childless,
@@ -2115,9 +2161,10 @@
 \v 41 Jesus said to them, "How do they say that the Christ is David's son?
 \v 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
 \q The Lord said to my Lord,
-\q 'Sit at my right hand,
+\q2 'Sit at my right hand,
 \q
-\v 43 until I make your enemies your footstool.'
+\v 43 until I make your enemies
+\q2 your footstool.'
 \m
 \v 44 David therefore calls the Christ 'Lord,' so how is he David's son?"
 
@@ -2173,10 +2220,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days! For there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people.
 \v 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
-\p
 
 \s5
 \p
+\p
 \v 25 "There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth. The nations will be in distress, anxious because of the roar of the sea and waves.
 \v 26 There will be men fainting from fear and from expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
 
@@ -2193,19 +2240,19 @@
 \s5
 \v 32 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
 \v 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
-\p
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 "But pay attention to yourselves, so that your hearts are not burdened with excessive drinking and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day does not close on you suddenly like a trap.
-\v 35 For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth.
+\p
+\v 34 "But pay attention to yourselves, so that your hearts are not burdened with excessive drinking and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day does not close on you suddenly
+\v 35 like a trap. For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth.
 
 \s5
 \v 36 But be alert at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 37 So during the days he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and stayed on what is called Olivet.
+\v 37 So during the days he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and stayed on the mountain that is called Olives.
 \v 38 All of the people came early in the morning to hear him in the temple.
 
 \s5
@@ -2363,6 +2410,7 @@
 \v 66 As soon as it was day, the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. They led him into the Council
 \v 67 and said, "If you are the Christ, tell us."
 \p But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe,
+\nb
 \v 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer.
 
 \s5
@@ -2437,7 +2485,9 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 29 For see, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that did not bear, and the breasts that did not nurse.'
-\v 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
+\q
+\v 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains,
+\q2 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
 \v 31 For if they do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
 
 \s5
@@ -2461,7 +2511,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 39 One of the criminals who was hanging there reviled him by saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."
+\v 39 One of the criminals who was hanging there insulted him by saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."
 \p
 \v 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
 \v 41 We indeed are here justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man did nothing wrong."
@@ -2470,9 +2520,9 @@
 \v 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
 \p
 \v 43 Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour
 \v 45 as the sun turned dark. Then the curtain of the temple was split in two.
 
@@ -2523,9 +2573,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 11 But this message seemed like idle talk to the apostles, and they did not believe the women.
 \v 12 Yet Peter rose up and ran to the tomb, and, stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves. Peter then departed to his home, wondering what had happened.
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 13 Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.
 \v 14 They discussed with each other about all the things that had happened.
 
@@ -2542,6 +2592,7 @@
 \p
 \v 19 Jesus said to them, "What things?"
 \p They answered him, "The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
+\nb
 \v 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.
 
 \s5

44-JHN.usfm

@@ -18,11 +18,13 @@
 \v 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 6 There was a man who was sent from God, whose name was John.
 \v 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
 \v 8 John was not the light, but came that he might testify about the light.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 9 The true light, which gives light to all men, was coming into the world.
 
 \s5
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@
 \v 13 These were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 14 The Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his glory, glory as of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 \v 15 John testified about him and cried out, saying, "This was the one of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is greater than I am, for he was before me.'"
 
@@ -50,12 +53,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"
-\v 23 He said,
-\q "I am a voice, crying in the wilderness:
-\q 'Make the way of the Lord straight,'
-\m just as Isaiah the prophet said."
+\v 23 He said, "I am a voice, crying in the wilderness: 'Make the way of the Lord straight,' just as Isaiah the prophet said."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 24 Now some from the Pharisees were sent,
 \v 25 and they asked him and said to him, "Why do you baptize then if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?"
 
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@
 \v 28 These things were done in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
 \v 30 This is the one of whom I said, 'The one who comes after me is more than me, for he was before me.'
 \v 31 I did not know him, but it was so that he could be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing with water."
@@ -85,9 +87,10 @@
 \v 39 He said to them, "Come and see." Then they came and saw where he was staying; they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 40 One of the two who heard John speak and then followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
-\v 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated is: Christ).
-\v 42 He brought him to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).
+\v 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated "Christ").
+\v 42 He brought him to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated "Peter").
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -117,11 +120,13 @@
 \v 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 6 Now there were six stone water pots there used for the Jewish ceremonial washing, each containing two to three metretes.
 \v 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." So they filled them up to the brim.
 \v 8 Then he told the servants, "Take some out now and take it to the head waiter." So they did.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 9 The head waiter tasted the water that had become wine, but he did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew). Then he called the bridegroom
 \v 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first and then the cheaper wine when they are drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."
 
@@ -142,6 +147,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
+\p
 \v 18 Then the Jewish authorities responded and said to him, "What sign will you show us, since you are doing these things?"
 \v 19 Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
 
@@ -164,6 +170,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 Jesus replied to him, "Truly, truly, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
+\p
 \v 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
 
 \s5
@@ -175,6 +182,7 @@
 \v 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 9 Nicodemus replied and said to him, "How can these things be?"
 \v 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
 \v 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. Yet you do not accept our testimony.
@@ -189,7 +197,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
+\v 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
 \v 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through him.
 \v 18 He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
 
@@ -205,10 +213,12 @@
 \v 24 for John had not yet been thrown in prison.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washing.
 \v 26 They went to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you have testified, look, he is baptizing, and they are all going to him."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 27 John replied, "A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.
 \v 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but instead, 'I have been sent before him.'
 
@@ -218,7 +228,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
+\v 31 "He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
 \v 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
 \v 33 He who has received his testimony has confirmed that God is true.
 
@@ -240,34 +250,45 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 The well of Jacob was there. Jesus was tired from his journey and sat by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
+\p
 \v 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me some water to drink."
 \v 8 For his disciples had gone away into the town to buy food.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 9 Then the Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, are asking me, being a Samaritan woman, for something to drink?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
+\p
 \v 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not have a bucket and the well is deep. Where then do you have the living water?
 \v 12 You are not greater, are you, than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?"
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 13 Jesus replied and said to her, "Everyone who drinks from this water will be thirsty again,
 \v 14 but whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will not ever be thirsty again. Instead, the water that I will give him will become a fountain of water in him, springing up to eternal life."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I may not become thirsty and not have to come here to draw water."
+\p
 \v 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back here."
 
 \s5
-\v 17 The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus replied, "You have said correctly, 'I have no husband,'
+\p
+\v 17 The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." 
+\p Jesus replied, "You have said correctly, 'I have no husband,'
 \v 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet.
 \v 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where people have to worship."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 21 Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
 \v 22 You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
 
@@ -276,7 +297,9 @@
 \v 24 God is Spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 25 The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (the one called Christ). When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
+\p
 \v 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one speaking to you."
 
 \s5
@@ -284,16 +307,19 @@
 \v 27 At that moment his disciples returned. Now they were wondering why he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you speaking with her?"
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 28 So the woman left her water pot, went back to the town, and said to the people,
 \v 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything that I have ever done. This could not be the Christ, could it?"
 \v 30 They left the town and came to him.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 31 In the meantime, the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."
 \v 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."
 \v 33 So the disciples said to each other, "No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?"
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.
 \v 35 Do you not say, 'There are four more months and then the harvest comes'? I am saying to you, look up and see the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest!
 \v 36 He who is harvesting receives wages and gathers fruit for everlasting life, so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
@@ -364,10 +390,12 @@
 \v 13 However, the one who was healed did not know who it was because Jesus had gone away secretly, for there was a crowd in the place.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have become healthy! Do not sin anymore, so that something worse will not happen to you."
 \v 15 The man went away and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him healthy.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 16 Now because of these things the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the Sabbath.
 \v 17 Jesus replied to them, "My Father is working even now, and I, too, am working."
 \v 18 Because of this, the Jews sought even more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.
@@ -386,7 +414,8 @@
 \v 24 Truly, truly, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but he has passed from death to life.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 Truly, truly, I tell you the time is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
+\p
+\v 25 "Truly, truly, I tell you the time is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
 
 \s5
 \v 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has also given to the Son so that he has life in himself,
@@ -398,7 +427,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 30 I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.
+\v 30 "I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.
 \v 31 If I should testify about myself, my testimony would not be true.
 \v 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony that he gives about me is true.
 
@@ -701,7 +730,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true. I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I came from or where I am going.
-\v 15 You judge according the flesh; I judge no one.
+\v 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
 \v 16 Yet if I judge, my judgment is true because I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me.
 
 \s5
@@ -788,10 +817,9 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
 \v 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?"
-
 \s5
 \v 3 Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents, but so that the works of God would be revealed in him.
-\v 4 We must bring about the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one will be able to work.
+\v 4 We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one will be able to work.
 \v 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
 
 \s5
@@ -833,7 +861,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Then they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
-\v 27 He answered, "I have told you already, and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become his disciples too, do you?
+\v 27 He answered, "I have told you already, and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become his disciples too, do you?"
 
 \s5
 \v 28 They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
@@ -1055,7 +1083,7 @@
 \c 12
 \p
 \v 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
-\v 2 So they made him a dinner there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who was lying down at the table with Jesus.
+\v 2 So they made him a dinner there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who were lying down at the table with Jesus.
 \v 3 Then Mary took a litra of perfume made of very precious pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus with it, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
 
 \s5
@@ -1081,8 +1109,10 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it was written,
-\p
-\v 15 "Do not fear, daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey."
+\q
+\v 15 "Do not fear, daughter of Zion;
+\q2 see, your King is coming,
+\q2 sitting on the colt of a donkey."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1130,20 +1160,23 @@
 \v 37 Although Jesus had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him
 \v 38 so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, in which he said:
 \q "Lord, who has believed our report,
-\q and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
-\m
+\q2 and to whom has the arm
+\q2 of the Lord been revealed?"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah had also said,
+
 \q
-\v 40 "He has blinded their eyes, and he has hardened their hearts;
-\q otherwise they would see with their eyes and understand with their hearts,
-\q and turn,
-\q and I would heal them."
-\m
+\v 40 "He has blinded their eyes, 
+\q2 and he has hardened their heart, 
+\q otherwise they would see with their eyes 
+\q2 and understand with their hearts, 
+\q2 and turn, and I would heal them."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke of him.
 \v 42 But despite that, many of the rulers believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess it so that they would not be banned from the synagogue.
@@ -1194,7 +1227,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is a messenger greater than he who sent him.
 \v 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
-\v 18 I am not speaking about all of you; I know those whom I have chosen—but this so that the scripture will be fulfilled: 'He who eats my bread lifted up his heel against me.'
+\v 18 I am not speaking about all of you; I know those whom I have chosen—but this is so that the scripture will be fulfilled: 'He who eats my bread lifted up his heel against me.'
 
 \s5
 \v 19 I tell you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe that I AM.
@@ -1206,7 +1239,7 @@
 \v 22 The disciples looked at each other, wondering of whom he was speaking.
 
 \s5
-\v 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying down at the table against Jesus's side.
+\v 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying down at the table against Jesus' side.
 \v 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him who he is speaking about."
 \v 25 So he leaned back against the side of Jesus and said to him, "Lord, who is it?"
 
@@ -1238,13 +1271,13 @@
 \s5
 \c 14
 \p
-\v 1 "Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
+\v 1 "Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
 \v 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you.
 \v 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am you will also be.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 You know the way to where I am going."
-\v 5 Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?"
+\v 5 Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"
 \v 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.
 \v 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you know him and have seen him."
 
@@ -1369,7 +1402,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
-\v 13 But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak from himself. But he will say whatever he hears, and he will tell you things that are to come.
+\v 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak from himself. But he will say whatever he hears, and he will tell you things that are to come.
 \v 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and he will tell it to you.
 
 \s5
@@ -1461,9 +1494,9 @@
 \s5
 \c 18
 \p
-\v 1 After Jesus spoke these words, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the wadi Kidron, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered.
+\v 1 After Jesus spoke these words, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Brook, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered.
 \v 2 Now Judas, who was going to betray him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
-\v 3 Then Judas, leading a group of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
+\v 3 Then Judas, leading a company of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Then Jesus, who knew all the things that were happening to him, went forward and asked them, "Who are you looking for?"
@@ -1483,7 +1516,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 So the group of soldiers and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and tied him up.
+\v 12 So a company of soldiers and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and tied him up.
 \v 13 They led him first to Annas, for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
 \v 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had given the advice to the Jews that it would be better that one man die for the people.
 
@@ -1517,7 +1550,7 @@
 \p
 \v 28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the government headquarters. It was early in the morning, and they did not enter the government headquarters so that they would not be defiled but would be able to eat the Passover.
 \v 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation are you bringing against this man?"
-\v 30 They answered and said to him, "If this man was not an evil doer, we would not have given him over to you."
+\v 30 They answered and said to him, "If this man was not an evildoer, we would not have given him over to you."
 
 \s5
 \v 31 Pilate therefore said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."
@@ -1594,18 +1627,18 @@
 \v 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, divided them into four shares, one for each of them; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
 \v 24 Then they said to each other, "Let us not tear it, but instead let us cast lots for it to decide whose it will be." This happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled which said,
 \q "They divided my garments among themselves
-\q and cast lots for my clothing."
+\q2 and cast lots for my clothing."
 \m This is what the soldiers did.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 25 Now standing beside Jesus's cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
+\v 25 Now standing beside Jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
 \v 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, see, your son!"
 \v 27 Then he said to the disciple, "See, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 28 After this, knowing that everything was now completed and so that the scriptures would be carried out, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
+\v 28 After this, knowing that everything was now accomplished and so that the scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
 \v 29 A container full of sour wine was placed there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop staff and lifted it up to his mouth.
 \v 30 When Jesus had taken the sour wine, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
 
@@ -1640,6 +1673,7 @@
 \v 2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, "They took away the Lord out from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went out, and they were going to the tomb.
 \v 4 They both ran together, and the other disciple quickly ran ahead of Peter and arrived at the tomb first.
 \v 5 Then stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go inside.
@@ -1658,18 +1692,21 @@
 \v 11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down into the tomb.
 \v 12 She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the foot of where the body of Jesus had lain.
 \v 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
-\q She said to them, "Because they took away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him."
+\p She said to them, "Because they took away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him."
 
 \s5
 \v 14 When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
+\p
 \v 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?"
-\q She thought that he was the gardener, so she said to him, "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away."
+\p She thought that he was the gardener, so she said to him, "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."
-\q She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni" (which is to say "Teacher").
+\p She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni" (which is to say "Teacher").
+\p
 \v 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them that I will go up to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God."
-\q
+\p
 \v 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that he had said these things to her.
 
 \s5
@@ -1686,18 +1723,18 @@
 \p
 \v 24 Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
 \v 25 The other disciples later said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
-\q He said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
+\p He said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails,  and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 26 After eight days his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came while the doors were closed, and stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."
 \v 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger and see my hands. Reach here with your hand and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe."
-\q
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 28 Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God."
-\q
-\v 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and believed."
+\p
+\v 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen, and believed."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1709,60 +1746,63 @@
 \p
 \v 1 After these things Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he revealed himself:
 \v 2 Simon Peter was together with Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus.
-\v 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
-\q They said to him, "We, too, will come with you." They went and got into a boat, but they caught nothing during the whole night.
+\v 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."  They said to him, "We, too, will come with you."  They went and got into a boat, but they caught nothing during the whole night.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 4 Now, when it was already early in the morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.
 \v 5 So Jesus said to them, "Young men, do you have anything to eat?"
-\q They answered him, "No."
+\p They answered him, "No."
+\p
 \v 6 He said to them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they threw their net and were not able to draw it in because of the large number of fish.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied up his outer garment (for he was undressed), and threw himself into the sea.
 \v 8 The other disciples came in the boat (for they were not far from the land, about two hundred cubits off), and they were pulling the net full of fish.
 \v 9 When they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire there and fish laid on it, with bread.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
 \v 11 Simon Peter then went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast."
-\q None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
-\q
+\v 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast."  None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
 \v 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and the fish also.
 \v 14 This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he had risen from the dead.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 After they ate breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
-\q Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
-\q
+\p Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."
+\p Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
+\p
 \v 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
-\q Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."
-\q Jesus said to him, "Shepherd my sheep."
+\p Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."
+\p Jesus said to him, "Shepherd my sheep."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 He said to him a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
-\q Peter was sorrowful because Jesus had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."
-\q Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
+\p Peter was sorrowful because Jesus had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."
+\p Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.  
 \v 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you become old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you and carry you where you will not want to go."
-\q
 
 \s5
-\v 19 Now Jesus said this in order to indicate with what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After he had said this, he said to Peter, "Follow me."
-\q
+\p
+\v 19 Now Jesus said this in order to indicate with what kind of death Peter would glorify God.  After he had said this, he said to Peter, "Follow me."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had also leaned back against the side of Jesus at the dinner and who had said, "Lord, who is the one who will betray you?"
 \v 21 Peter saw him and then said to Jesus, "Lord, what will this man do?"
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 22 Jesus said to him, "If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you? Follow me."
-\q
-\v 23 So this statement spread among the brothers, that that disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to Peter that the other disciple would not die, but, "If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?"
+\p
+\v 23 So this statement spread among the brothers, that that disciple would not die.  Yet Jesus did not say to Peter that the other disciple would not die, but, "If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?"
 
 \s5
 \p

45-ACT.usfm

@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 When he was meeting together with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, about which he said, "You heard from me
 \v 5 that John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days."
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 6 When they were assembled together they asked him, "Lord, is this the time you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"
 \v 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has determined by his own authority.
 \v 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
+\v 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain that is called Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
 \v 13 When they arrived, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were staying. They were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
 \v 14 They all were devoted with one purpose to prayer, together with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
 
@@ -46,12 +46,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
+
+\p
 \q 'Let his field be made desolate,
-\q and do not let even one person live there';
+\q2 and do not let even one person live there';
 \q 'Let someone else take his position of leadership.'
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 21 It is necessary, therefore, that one of the men who accompanied us all the time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
 \v 22 beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection."
@@ -66,9 +68,9 @@
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in the same place.
-\v 2 Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
+\v 2 Suddenly a sound like the rush of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
 \v 3 There appeared to them tongues like fire that were distributed, and they sat upon each one of them.
-\v 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to make declarations.
+\v 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them the ability.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -95,70 +97,78 @@
 \v 16 But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
 \q
 \v 17 'It will be in the last days,' God says,
-\q 'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
+\q2 'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
 \q Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
-\q your young men will see visions,
-\q and your old men will dream dreams.
+\q2 your young men will see visions,
+\q2 and your old men will dream dreams.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 18 Surely on my servants and my female servants in those days
+\v 18 Surely on my servants
+\q2 and my female servants in those days
 \q I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
-\q
+\q2
 \v 19 I will show wonders in the sky above
 \q and signs on the earth below,
-\q blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
+\q2 blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 20 The sun will be turned to darkness
-\q and the moon to blood
-\q before the great and remarkable day of the Lord comes.
+\q2 and the moon to blood
+\q2 before the great and remarkable
+\q2 day of the Lord comes.
 \q
-\v 21 It will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
-\m
+\v 21 It will be that everyone who calls
+\q2 on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited to you by God with the mighty deeds and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
 \v 23 This man was handed over by God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and you, by the hand of lawless men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross.
-\v 24 But God raised him up, freeing him from the pangs of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
+\v 24 But God raised him up, freeing him from the agonies of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 For David says about him,
 \q 'I saw the Lord always before my face,
-\q for he is beside my right hand so that I should not be moved.
+\q2 for he is beside my right hand
+\q2 so that I should not be moved.
 \q
-\v 26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced.
+\v 26 Therefore my heart was glad
+\q2 and my tongue rejoiced.
 \q Also, my flesh will live in hope.
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q2
 \v 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
-\q neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
+\q neither will you allow
+\q2 your Holy One to see decay.
 \q
 \v 28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
-\q you will make me full of gladness with your face.'
-\m
+\q2 you will make me full of gladness with your face.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 29 Brothers, it is proper for me to speak to you confidently about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
 \v 30 Therefore, he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of the fruit of his loins on his throne.
-\v 31 He saw what was to happen in the future and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,
-\q that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.
-\m
+\v 31 He saw what was to happen in the future and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 32 This Jesus—God raised him up, of which we all are witnesses.
 \v 33 Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you see and hear.
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 34 For David did not ascend to the heaven, but he says,
-\q 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand
+
+\q 'The Lord said to my Lord,
+\q2 "Sit at my right hand
 \q
-\v 35 until I make your enemies the footstool for your feet."'
+\v 35 until I make your enemies
+\q2 the footstool for your feet."'
 \m
 \p
 \v 36 Therefore, let all the house of Israel certainly know that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."
@@ -212,7 +222,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. He is the one whom you handed over and rejected before the face of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
-\v 14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One, and you asked instead for a murderer to be graciously given to you.
+\v 14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One, and you asked instead for a murderer to be given to you.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 You killed the Founder of life, whom God raised from the dead—and we are witnesses of this.
@@ -224,10 +234,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Repent, therefore, and turn, so that your sins may be blotted out,
-\v 20 so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, Jesus.
+\v 20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, Jesus.
 
 \s5
-\v 21 He is the One heaven must receive until the time of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke from ancient time by the mouth of his holy prophets.
+\v 21 He is the One heaven must receive until the time of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke from ancient times by the mouth of his holy prophets.
 \v 22 Moses indeed said, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to everything he tells you.
 \v 23 It will happen that every person who does not listen to that prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.'
 
@@ -257,7 +267,6 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Jesus Christ is the stone which you builders rejected but which has been made the cornerstone.
-\p
 \v 12 There is no salvation in any other person, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
 
 \s5
@@ -267,7 +276,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But after they had commanded the apostles to leave the council meeting, they talked among themselves.
-\v 16 They said, "What should we do with these men? For a remarkable sign has been done through them, and this is visible to everyone who lives in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
+\v 16 They said, "What should we do with these men? For a remarkable sign has been done through them, and this is evident to everyone who lives in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
 \v 17 But in order that it spreads no further among the people, let us warn them not to speak anymore to anyone in this name."
 \v 18 Then they called them in and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
 
@@ -284,18 +293,20 @@
 \v 23 After they were set free, Peter and John came to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
 \v 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices with one purpose to God and said, "Lord, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.
 \v 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David,
+
 \q 'Why did the Gentile nations rage,
-\q and the peoples imagine useless things?'
+\q2 and the peoples imagine useless things?'
 
 \s5
 \m
+\q
 \v 26 You said,
-\q 'The kings of the earth set themselves together,
+\q2 'The kings of the earth set themselves together,
 \q and the rulers gathered together
-\q against the Lord, and against his Christ.'
-\m
+\q2 against the Lord, and against his Christ.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 27 Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
 \v 28 They gathered together to do all that your hand and your plan had decided in advance would happen.
@@ -327,7 +338,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?
-\v 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own, and after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Who is it that put this activity in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God."
+\v 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own, and after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why did you put it in your heart to do this? You have not lied to men, but to God."
 \v 5 Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard it.
 \v 6 The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him.
 
@@ -372,7 +383,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 26 So the captain went with the officers and brought them back, but without violence, for they feared the people, that they might be stoned.
 \v 27 When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest interrogated them,
-\v 28 saying, "We commanded you with a command not to teach in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and desire to bring this man's blood upon us."
+\v 28 saying, "We ordered you with a command not to teach in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and desire to bring this man's blood upon us."
 
 \s5
 \v 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
@@ -382,8 +393,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 33 When the council members heard this, they were cut to the heart and wanted to kill the apostles.
-\v 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the council and commanded the apostles to be taken outside for a little while.
+\v 33 When the council members heard this, they were furious and they wanted to kill the apostles.
+\v 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the council and gave a command to take the men outside for a little while.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 Then he said to them, "Men of Israel, pay close attention to what you propose to do with these people.
@@ -457,7 +468,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 11 "Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers could find no food.
+\v 11 "Now a famine and great tribulation came over all Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could find no food.
 \v 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first trip.
 \v 13 On their second trip Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.
 
@@ -480,9 +491,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and works.
 \p
-\v 23 "But when forty years were coming to completion for him, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel.
+\v 23 "But when he was about forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel.
 \v 24 Seeing an Israelite being mistreated, Moses defended him and avenged him who was oppressed by striking the Egyptian:
-\v 25 he thought that his brothers would understand that God by his hand was giving them deliverance, but they did not understand.
+\v 25 he thought that his brothers would understand that God, by his hand, was giving them salvation, but they did not understand. 
 
 \s5
 \v 26 On the next day he appeared to them when they were fighting, and he tried to make peace between them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why are you wronging one another?'
@@ -496,7 +507,7 @@
 \v 30 "When forty years were past, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
 
 \s5
-\v 31 When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, there came a voice of the Lord, saying,
+\v 31 When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, the voice of the Lord came, saying,
 \v 32 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look.
 
 \s5
@@ -520,36 +531,38 @@
 \s5
 \v 41 So they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced because of the work of their hands.
 \v 42 But God turned and gave them up to worship the stars in the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets,
-\q 'Did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices
-\q for forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?
 
+\p
+\q 'Did you bring me offerings and sacrifices 
+\q2 during the forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?
 \s5
 \q
 \v 43 You accepted the tabernacle of Molech
-\q and the star of the god Rephan,
+\q2 and the star of the god Rephan,
 \q and the images that you made to worship them:
-\q and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
-\m
+\q2 and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as God commanded when he spoke to Moses, that he should make it like the pattern that he had seen.
 \v 45 Later, our fathers, under Joshua, received the tabernacle and brought it with them when they took possession of the land. God took the land from the nations and drove them out before the face of our fathers. The tabernacle remained in the land until the time of David,
-\v 46 who found favor in the sight of God, and he asked if he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.
+\v 46 who found favor in the sight of God, and he asked if he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob \f + \ft The phrase: \fqa the house of Jacob, \fqa* is found in many ancient copies. Other ancient texts have the phrase: \fqa the God of Jacob \fqa* . \f*.
 
 \s5
 \v 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for God.
 \p
 \v 48 "However, the Most High does not live in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,
 \q
-\v 49 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet.
+\v 49 'Heaven is my throne,
+\q2 and the earth is the footstool for my feet.
 \q What kind of house can you build for me? says the Lord,
-\q or what is the place for my rest?
+\q2 or what is the place for my rest?
 \q
 \v 50 Did my hand not make all these things?'
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; you act just as your fathers acted.
 \v 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed the prophets who appeared in advance of the coming of the Righteous One; and you have now become the betrayers and murderers of him also,
@@ -557,7 +570,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 54 Now when the council members heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they ground their teeth at Stephen.
+\v 54 Now when the council members heard these things, they were furious in their hearts and they ground their teeth at Stephen.
 \v 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up intently into heaven and saw the glory of God; and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
 \v 56 Stephen said, "Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
 
@@ -642,16 +655,19 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 Now the passage of the scripture which the Ethiopian was reading was this,
+
+\p
 \q "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
-\q and like a lamb before his shearer is silent,
-\q so he did not open his mouth.
+\q2 and like a lamb before his shearer is silent,
+\q2 so he did not open his mouth.
 \q
-\v 33 In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.
+\v 33 In his humiliation
+\q2 justice was taken away from him.
 \q Who can give a full account of his descendants?
-\q For his life was taken from the earth."
-\m
+\q2 For his life was taken from the earth."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 34 So the eunuch asked Philip, and said, "I beg you, tell me who is the prophet speaking about, himself, or someone else?"
 \v 35 Philip began to speak, and beginning with this scripture he proclaimed the gospel about Jesus to him.
@@ -743,7 +759,7 @@
 \v 37 It came about in those days that she fell sick and died; when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
 
 \s5
-\v 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, pleading him, "Come to us without delay."
+\v 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, pleading with him, "Come to us without delay."
 \v 39 Peter arose and went with them. When he had arrived, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing him the tunics and garments that Dorcas had made while she had been with them.
 
 \s5
@@ -755,7 +771,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 10
 \p
-\v 1 Now there was a certain man in the city of Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.
+\v 1 Now there was a certain man in the city of Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Company of Soldiers.
 \v 2 He was a devout man, one who feared God with all his household, gave many alms to the people, and prayed to God constantly.
 
 \s5
@@ -764,9 +780,9 @@
 \p The angel said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have gone up as a memorial offering into God's presence.
 \v 5 Now send men to the city of Joppa to bring a man named Simon who is called Peter.
 \v 6 He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside."
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his house servants, and a devout soldier from among those who served him.
 \v 8 Cornelius told them all that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
 
@@ -799,13 +815,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 They said, "A centurion named Cornelius, a righteous man and one who fears God, and is well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was given a message from God by a holy angel and told to send for you to come to his house, so he could listen to a message from you."
+\v 22 They said, "A centurion named Cornelius, a righteous man and one who fears God, and is well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, so he could listen to a message from you."
 \v 23 So Peter invited them to come in and stay with him.
-\p On the next morning he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
 
+\p On the next morning he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
 \s5
 \v 24 On the following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them; he had called together his relatives and his close friends.
-
 \s5
 \v 25 It came about that when Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet to worship him.
 \v 26 But Peter helped him up, saying, "Stand up! I too am a man."
@@ -825,8 +840,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly, I perceive that God is not partial.
-\v 35 Instead, in every nation anyone who fears him and does righteous deeds is acceptable to him.
+\v 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God is not partial.
+\v 35 Instead, in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
 
 \s5
 \v 36 You know the message that he sent to the people of Israel, when he announced the good news about peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all—
@@ -891,7 +906,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose over Stephen spread as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jews.
-\v 20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to Greeks, proclaiming to them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
+\v 20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to Greeks, proclaiming to them the gospel about the Lord Jesus.
 \v 21 The hand of the Lord was with them; a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
 
 \s5
@@ -940,7 +955,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
-\v 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, out of joy she failed to open the door; instead, she came running into the room; she reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
+\v 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, out of joy she failed to open the gate; instead, she came running into the room; she reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
 \v 15 So they said to her, "You are insane." But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."
 
 \s5
@@ -998,7 +1013,7 @@
 \v 15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if you have any message of encouragement for the people here, say it."
 
 \s5
-\v 16 So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand; he said, "Men of Israel and you who honor God, listen.
+\v 16 So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand; he said, "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
 \v 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they stayed in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.
 \v 18 For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. \f + \ft Some ancient copies read, \fqa For about forty years he cared for them in the wilderness \fqa* . \f*
 
@@ -1016,7 +1031,7 @@
 \v 25 As John was finishing his work, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But listen, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'
 
 \s5
-\v 26 Brothers, children of the offspring of Abraham, and those among you who honor God, it is to us that the message about this salvation has been sent.
+\v 26 Brothers, children of the offspring of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the message about this salvation has been sent.
 \v 27 For they who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and they fulfilled the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning him.
 
 \s5
@@ -1028,34 +1043,43 @@
 \v 31 He was seen for many days by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These people are now his witnesses to the people.
 
 \s5
-\v 32 So we are telling you the good news, the promise that came to our fathers
-\v 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
-\q 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.'
+\v 32 So we tell you the good news: The promise that came to our fathers
+\v 33 God has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
+
+\p
+\q 'You are my Son,
+\q2 today I have become your Father.'
 \m
 \p
-\v 34 That he raised him up from the dead never to return, God has spoken in this way:
-\q 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'
+\v 34 As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way:
+
+\q 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings
+\q2 promised to David.'
 
 \s5
 \m
 \p
 \v 35 This is why he also says in another Psalm,
-\q 'You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.'
+
+\q 'You will not allow your Holy One
+\q2 to see decay.'
 \m
 \p
 \v 36 For when David had served the purpose of God in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was laid with his fathers and his body experienced decay.
 \v 37 But he whom God raised up experienced no decay.
 
 \s5
-\v 38 So let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you forgiveness of sins.
-\v 39 By him every one who believes is justified from all the things which the law of Moses could not justify you.
+\v 38 So let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. The law of Moses could not make you righteous.
+\v 39 But by this man God makes righteous everyone who believes.
 
 \s5
 \v 40 So then be careful that the thing the prophets spoke about does not happen to you:
 \q
-\v 41 'Look, you despisers, and be astonished and then perish;
-\q For I am bringing about a work in your days,
-\q a work that you would never believe, even if someone announces it to you.'"
+\v 41 'Look, you despisers,
+\q2 and be astonished and then perish;  
+\q For I am doing a work in your days,  
+\q2 a work that you would never believe,
+\q2 even if someone announces it to you.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1070,11 +1094,14 @@
 \s5
 \v 46 But Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing you push it away from yourselves and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, see, we will turn to the Gentiles.
 \v 47 For so has the Lord commanded us, saying,
+
+\p
 \q 'I have appointed you as a light for the Gentiles,
-\q that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"
-\m
+\q2 that you should bring salvation
+\q2 to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 48 As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
 \v 49 The word of the Lord was spread out through the whole region.
@@ -1154,8 +1181,8 @@
 \v 6 So the apostles and the elders gathered together to consider this matter.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,
-\p "Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
+\p
+\v 7 After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
 \v 8 God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.
 \v 9 He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
 
@@ -1174,18 +1201,22 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,
+
 \q
 \v 16 'After these things I will return,
-\q and I will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
+\q2 and I will build again the tabernacle of David,
+\q2 which has fallen down;
 \q I will set up and restore its ruins again,
-\q
+\q2
 \v 17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
-\q including all the Gentiles called by my name.'
+\q2 including all the Gentiles called by my name.'
 \q
-\v 18 This is what the Lord says, who has done these things that have been known from ancient times. \f + \ft There are some copies of the ancient Greek text that have a slightly different meaning, \fqa This is what the Lord says, to whom are known all his deeds from ancient times \fqa* . \f*
-\m
+\v 18 This is what the Lord says,
+\q2 who has done these things
+\q2 that have been known from ancient times. \f + \ft There are some copies of the ancient Greek text that have a slightly different meaning, \fqa This is what the Lord says, to whom are known all his deeds from ancient times \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 19 Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.
 \v 20 But we will write to them that they must keep away from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, and from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
@@ -1193,11 +1224,16 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders of the brothers, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas,
-\v 23 writing through their hands, "From the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings!
+\v 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders of the brothers, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
+
+\p
+\v 23 They wrote this with their hands, 
+\pi "From the apostles and elders,  your brothers, 
+\pi to the Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: 
+\pi Greetings!
 
 \s5
-\p
+\pi
 \v 24 Because we have heard that certain men have gone out from us, with no orders from us, and have disturbed you with words that upset your souls,
 \v 25 it seemed good to us, who have come to one mind, to choose men and to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
 \v 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
@@ -1205,7 +1241,8 @@
 \s5
 \v 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report to you the same things in their own words.
 \v 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
-\v 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, blood, things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you avoid these things, you will do well. Farewell."
+\v 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, blood, things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you avoid these things, you will do well.
+\pi Farewell."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1237,7 +1274,7 @@
 \v 3 Paul wanted him to travel with him, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 As they were going along through the cities, they were passing along the decrees decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem for them to obey.
+\v 4 As they were going along through the cities, they were passing along the decrees to obey that were decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.  
 \v 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.
 
 \s5
@@ -1270,7 +1307,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 When her masters saw that their hope of profit was now gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
-\v 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men are troubling our city. They are Jews.
+\v 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men are causing trouble in our city. They are Jews.
 \v 21 They proclaim customs that are not lawful for Romans to accept or practice."
 
 \s5
@@ -1309,7 +1346,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 37 But Paul said to them, "They have publicly beaten us without a trial, even though we are Romans citizens—and they threw us into prison. Do they now want to send us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out."
+\v 37 But Paul said to them, "They have publicly beaten us without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens—and they threw us into prison. Do they now want to send us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out."
 \p
 \v 38 The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Romans, they were afraid.
 \v 39 The magistrates came and apologized to them and brought them out, asking them to go away from the city.
@@ -1361,11 +1398,13 @@
 \v 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing but either telling or listening about something new.)
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 22 So Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said,
 \p "You men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way.
-\v 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription, "To an Unknown God." What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
+\v 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription, "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD."  What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built with hands.
 \v 25 Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives people life and breath and everything else.
 
@@ -1374,8 +1413,7 @@
 \v 27 so that they should search for God and perhaps they may feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, just as one of your own poets has said,
-\p 'For we also are his offspring.'
+\v 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, just as one of your own poets has said, 'For we also are his offspring.'
 \p
 \v 29 "Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the qualities of deity are like gold, or silver, or stone—images created by the art and imagination of man.
 
@@ -1425,7 +1463,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 18 Paul, after staying there for many more days, left the brothers and sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. Before he left the seaport, Cenchrea, he had his hair cut off because of a vow he had taken.
+\v 18 Paul, after staying there for many more days, left the brothers and sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. Before he left the seaport, Cenchreae, he had his hair cut off because of a vow he had taken.
 \v 19 When they came to Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
 
 \s5
@@ -1453,9 +1491,9 @@
 \v 1 It came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to the city of Ephesus, and found certain disciples there.
 \v 2 Paul said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
 \p They said to him, "No, we did not even hear about the Holy Spirit."
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 3 Paul said, "Into what then were you baptized?"
 \p They said, "Into John's baptism."
 \p
@@ -1475,9 +1513,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 11 God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
 \v 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 13 But there were Jewish exorcists traveling through the area. They called on the name of the Lord Jesus so they could have power over evil spirits when they said, "By the Jesus whom Paul proclaims, I command you to come out."
 \v 14 The Jewish high priest, whose name was Sceva, had seven sons who were doing this.
 
@@ -1506,9 +1544,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 26 You see and hear that, not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people. He is saying that gods made by hands are not gods.
 \v 27 Not only is there danger that our trade will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis might be regarded as worthless, and her greatness would be brought to nothing, she whom all Asia and the world worship."
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 28 When they heard this, they were filled with anger and cried out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians."
 \v 29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed with one mind into the theater. They had seized Paul's travel companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, who came from Macedonia.
 
@@ -1529,8 +1567,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have an accusation against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse one another.
 \v 39 But if you are seeking anything more, it should be resolved in the regular assembly.
-\v 40 For we are in danger of being accused of rioting today, and there is no cause we can give to justify this uproar."
-\v 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. \f + \ft Some Greek versions include verse 41 with verse 40. \f*
+\v 40 For we are in danger of being accused of rioting today, and there is no cause we can give to justify this uproar."  When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. \f + \ft Some Greek copies number this last sentence as verse 41. \f*
 
 \s5
 \c 20
@@ -1569,8 +1606,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 17 From Miletus he sent men to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.
-\v 18 When they had come to him, he said to them,
-\p "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I always spent my time with you.
+\v 18 When they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I always spent my time with you.
 \v 19 I kept serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind and with tears, and in trials that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.
 \v 20 You know how I did not keep back from declaring to you anything that was useful, and how I taught you in public and from house to house,
 \v 21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus.
@@ -1627,7 +1663,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 10 As we stayed there for some days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus.
+\v 10 As we stayed there for some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
 \v 11 He came to us and took Paul's belt. With it he tied his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt, and they will hand him over into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
 
 \s5
@@ -1669,7 +1705,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 30 All the city was excited, and the people ran together and laid hold of Paul. They dragged him out of the temple, and the doors were immediately shut.
-\v 31 As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the chief captain of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
+\v 31 As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the chief captain of the company of soldiers, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
 
 \s5
 \v 32 Right away he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
@@ -1685,9 +1721,9 @@
 \v 37 As Paul was about to be brought into the fortress, he said to the chief captain, "Is it permitted for me to say something to you?"
 \p The captain said, "Do you know Greek?
 \v 38 Are you not then the Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the 'Assassins' out into the wilderness?"
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 39 Paul said, "I am a Jew, from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I am a citizen of no unimportant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."
 \p
 \v 40 When the captain had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with the hand to the people. When there was a deep silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language. He said,
@@ -1711,9 +1747,9 @@
 \p
 \v 8 I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?'
 \p He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 9 Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who spoke to me.
 \v 10 I said, 'What should I do, Lord?'
 \p The Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus. There you will be told everything that has been appointed for you to do.'
@@ -1772,8 +1808,7 @@
 \p
 \v 4 Those who stood by said, "Is this how you insult God's high priest?"
 \p
-\v 5 Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written,
-\q 'You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
+\v 5 Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1826,20 +1861,21 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Then he wrote a letter like this:
-\p
-\q1
-\p
-\v 26 "Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greetings.
-\p
+\pi
+\v 26 "Claudius Lysias,
+\pi To the most excellent Governor Felix,
+\pi Greetings.
+\pi
 \v 27 This man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with soldiers and rescued him, since I learned that he was a Roman citizen.
 
 \s5
 \v 28 I wanted to know why they accused him, so I took him down to their council.
 \v 29 I learned that he was being accused about questions concerning their own law, but that there was no accusation against him that deserved death or imprisonment.
-\v 30 Then it was reported to me that there was a plot against the man, so I immediately sent him to you and instructed his accusers also to bring their charges against him in your presence. Farewell."
-\m
+\v 30 Then it was reported to me that there was a plot against the man, so I immediately sent him to you and instructed his accusers also to bring their charges against him in your presence.
+\pi Farewell."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 31 So the soldiers obeyed their orders. They took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
 \v 32 On the next day, most of the soldiers left the horsemen to go with him and they themselves returned to the fortress.
@@ -1876,7 +1912,7 @@
 \v 13 They cannot prove to you the accusations they are now making against me.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 But I confess this to you, that according to the Way that they call a sect, in that same way I serve the God of our fathers. I believe everything that accords with the law and what is written in the prophets.
+\v 14 But I confess this to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things that are according to the law and that has been written in the prophets.
 \v 15 I have a hope in God, which these men also have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
 \v 16 So I always strive to have a blameless conscience before God and human beings.
 
@@ -1953,7 +1989,7 @@
 \v 24 Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you men who are here with us, you see this man; all the multitude of Jews appealed to me in Jerusalem and here also, and they shouted to me that he should no longer live.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 I perceived that he had done nothing worthy of death; but because he appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.
+\v 25 I found he had done nothing worthy of death; but because he appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him to Rome.
 \v 26 But I do not have anything certain to write to my lord. For this reason, I have brought him to you, especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I might have something more to write about the case.
 \v 27 For it seems unreasonable for me to send a prisoner and to not also state the charges against him."
 
@@ -1972,7 +2008,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 Now I stand here to be judged because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.
 \v 7 It is this promise that our twelve tribes hope to receive as they worship God earnestly night and day, and it is for this hope, king, that the Jews are accusing me.
-\v 8 Why is it considered by you unbelievable that God raises the dead?
+\v 8 Why should any of you judge it to be incredible that God raises the dead?
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Now indeed, I myself thought that I should do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
@@ -2021,7 +2057,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 27
 \p
-\v 1 When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they committed Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius of the Imperial Regiment.
+\v 1 When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they committed Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Augustan company of soldiers.
 \v 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail along the coast of Asia. So we went to sea. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia went with us.
 
 \s5
@@ -2080,7 +2116,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 33 When daylight was coming on, Paul encouraged them all to take some food. He said, "This day is the fourteenth day that you have been on constant guard and have gone without food—you have not eaten anything.
-\v 34 So I urge you to share some food, for this is your salvation. For not one of you will lose a single hair from his head."
+\v 34 So I urge you to share some food, for this is necessary for you to survive. For not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 
 \v 35 When he had said this, he took bread and he thanked God in the sight of everyone. Then he broke the bread and began to eat.
 
 \s5
@@ -2106,11 +2142,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and placed them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened onto his hand.
-\v 4 When the native people saw the animal hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "This man certainly is a murderer who has been saved from the sea, Justice does not permit him to live."
+\v 4 When the native people saw the animal hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "This man certainly is a murderer who has been saved from the sea; Justice does not permit him to live."
 
 \s5
 \v 5 But then he shook the animal into the fire and suffered no harm.
-\v 6 They were waiting for him to become inflamed with a fever or to suddenly drop dead. But after they watched him for a long time and saw that nothing was wrong with him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
+\v 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they watched him for a long time and saw that nothing was wrong with him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -2152,23 +2188,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 25 When they did not agree with one another, they left after Paul had spoken this one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke well through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers.
+
 \p
-\v 26 He said, 'Go to this people and say,
-\q "By hearing you will hear, but you will not understand;
-\q and by seeing you will see, but you will not perceive.
+\q
+\v 26 He said, 'Go to this people and say,  
+\q2 "Hearing you will hear, but you will never understand;  
+\q2 seeing, you will see, but you will never know.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
-\q and with their ears they hardly hear,
-\q and they have shut their eyes.
+\q2 and with their ears they hardly hear,
+\q2 and they have shut their eyes.
 \q Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
-\q and hear with their ears,
-\q and understand with their heart and turn again,
+\q2 and hear with their ears,
+\q2 and understand with their heart and turn again,
 \q and I would heal them."'
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 28 Therefore, you should know that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen."
 \v 29 \f + \ft Acts 28:29—Some ancient copies have verse 29: \fqa When he had said these things, the Jews went away. They were having a great dispute among themselves \fqa* . \f*

46-ROM.usfm

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 \v 19 This is because that which is known about God is visible to them. For God has enlightened them.
 
 \s5
-\v 20 For his invisible qualities, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen; ever since the creation of the world, they have been discerned in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
+\v 20 For ever since the creation of the world, his invisible qualities, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, having been discerned in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
 \v 21 This is because, although they knew about God, they did not glorify him as God, nor did they give him thanks. Instead, they became foolish in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
 
 \s5
@@ -106,12 +106,12 @@
 \v 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, they are a law to themselves, although they do not have the law.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 By this they show that the actions required by the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience also bears witness to them, and their own thoughts either accuse or defend them to themselves
-\v 16 and also to God. That will happen on the day when God will judge the secrets of all people, according to my gospel, through Jesus Christ.
+\v 15 By this they show that the actions required by the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience also bears witness to them, and their own thoughts either accuse or defend them
+\v 16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of all people, according to my gospel, through Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 But if you name yourself a Jew and rest upon the law and boast in God,
+\v 17 But if you say that you are a Jew and rest upon the law and boast in God,
 \v 18 and know his will and approve of what is excellent because you have been instructed from the law;
 \v 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
 \v 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, and that you have in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth, then how does this affect the way you live your life?
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 \v 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who hate idols, do you rob temples?
 
 \s5
-\v 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by disobeying the law?
+\v 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by transgressing the law?
 \v 24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it has been written.
 
 \s5
@@ -140,19 +140,22 @@
 \v 2 It is great in every way. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with revelation from God.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 3 For what if some Jews were without faith? Will their unbelief nullify God's faithfulness?
 \v 4 May it never be. Instead, let God be found to be true, even though every man is a liar. As it has been written,
+\b
 \q "That you might be shown to be righteous in your words,
-\q and that you might prevail when you come into judgment."
-\m
+\q2 and that you might prevail when you come into judgment."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 5 But if our unrighteousness shows the righteousness of God, what can we say? Can we say that God is unrighteous to bring his wrath upon us? (I am using a human argument.)
 \v 6 May it never be! For then how would God judge the world?
 
 \s5
-\v 7 But if the truth of God through my lie multiplies his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?
+\v 7 But if through my lie the truth of God increases his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?
 \v 8 Why not say, as we are slandered as saying, and as some affirm that we say, "Let us do evil, so that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.
 
 \s5
@@ -160,53 +163,56 @@
 \v 9 What then? Are we excusing ourselves? Not at all. For we have already accused both Jews and Greeks, all of them, of being under sin.
 
 \s5
-\q
 \v 10 This is as it is written:
+\q
 \q “No one is righteous, not one;
 
 \s5
-\q
+\q2
 \v 11 there is no one who understands;
-\q there is no one who seeks God.
+\q2 there is no one who seeks God.
 \q
-\v 12 They have all turned away; together they have become useless.
-\q There is no one who does good, no, not even one.”
+\v 12 They have all turned away; 
+\q2 together they have become useless.
+\q There is no one who does good, no, 
+\q2 not even one.”
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 13 “Their throat is an open grave.
-\q Their tongues have deceived.
+\v 13 "Their throat is an open grave.
+\q2 Their tongues have deceived.
 \q The poison of snakes is under their lips.”
-\q
-\v 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
+\q2
+\v 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 15 "Their feet are swift to pour out blood.
-\q
+\q2
 \v 16 Destruction and suffering are in their paths.
 \q
 \v 17 These people have not known a way of peace."
-\q
+\q2
 \v 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to the ones who are under the law. This is in order that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world held accountable to God.
-\v 20 This is because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
+\v 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to the ones who are under the law, so that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world held accountable to God.
+\v 20 For no flesh will be justified by the works of the law in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed. It was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
-\v 22 that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. For there is no distinction.
+\v 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed, to which the Law and the Prophets bear witness—
+\v 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. For there is no distinction,
 
 \s5
-\v 23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
+\v 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
 \v 24 and they are freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
 
 \s5
-\v 25 For God provided Christ Jesus as a propitiation through faith in his blood. He offered Christ as proof of his justice, because of his disregard of previous sins
-\v 26 in his patience. This all happened for the demonstration of his righteousness at this present time. This was so he could prove himself just, and to show that he justifies anyone because of faith in Jesus.
+\v 25 For God provided Christ Jesus as an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood. He offered Christ as proof of his justice, because of his disregard of previous sins
+\v 26 in his patience. This was to show his righteousness at this present time, so he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -229,6 +235,7 @@
 \v 3 For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 4 Now for him who labors, his wage is not counted as a gift, but as what is owed.
 \v 5 But for him who does not work but instead believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
 
@@ -236,13 +243,17 @@
 \v 6 David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness without works.
 \p
 \v 7 He says,
-\q "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
-\q and whose sins are covered.
 \q
-\v 8 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count sin."
-\m
+\q "Blessed are those 
+\q2 whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
+\q2 and whose sins are covered.
+\q
+\v 8 Blessed is the man 
+\q2 against whom the Lord will not count sin."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 9 Then is this blessing pronounced only on those of the circumcision, or also on those of the uncircumcision? For we say, "Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness."
 \v 10 How was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before!
@@ -346,7 +357,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.
-\v 13 Do not present your members to sin, to be tools used for unrighteousness. But present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as tools to be used for righteousness.
+\v 13 Do not present the members of your bodies to sin, to be tools used for unrighteousness. But present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present the members of your bodies to God as tools to be used for righteousness.
 \v 14 Do not allow sin to rule over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.
 
 \s5
@@ -359,7 +370,7 @@
 \v 18 You have been made free from sin, and you have been made slaves of righteousness.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 I speak like a man because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, resulting in more lawlessness, in the same way, now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
+\v 19 I speak like a man because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the members of your bodies as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, resulting in more lawlessness, in the same way, now present the members of your bodies as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
 \v 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
 \v 21 At that time, what fruit then did you have of the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
 
@@ -378,7 +389,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 Therefore, my brothers, you were also made dead to the law through the body of Christ. This is so that you could be joined to another, that is, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might produce fruit for God.
-\v 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work our members to bear fruit for death.
+\v 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in the members of our bodies to bear fruit for death.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 But now we have been released from the law. We have died to that by which we were bound. This is so that we might serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
@@ -386,11 +397,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 What will we say then? Is the law itself sin? May it never be. However, I would never have known sin, if it were not through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said, "You must not covet."
-\v 8 But sin took the opportunity through the commandment and brought about every coveting in me. For without the law, sin is dead.
+\v 8 But sin took the opportunity through the commandment and produced every kind of coveting in me. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 At one time I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin regained life, and I died.
-\v 10 The commandment that was to bring life turned out to be death for me.
+\v 9 At one time I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin regained life
+\v 10 and I died. The commandment that was to bring life turned out to be death for me.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 For sin took the opportunity through the commandment and deceived me. Through the commandment it killed me.
@@ -416,7 +427,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 22 For I rejoice in the law of God with my inner person.
-\v 23 But I see a different law in my members. It fights against that new law in my mind. It takes me captive by the law of sin that is in my members.
+\v 23 But I see a different law in the members of my body. It fights against that new law in my mind. It takes me captive by the law of sin that is in the members of my body.
 
 \s5
 \v 24 I am a miserable man! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
@@ -495,11 +506,14 @@
 \s5
 \v 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
 \v 36 Just as it is written,
+\b
+\q
 \q "For your benefit we are killed all day long.
-\q We were considered as sheep for the slaughter."
-\m
+\q2 We were considered as sheep for the slaughter."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 37 In all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us.
 \v 38 For I have been convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor governments, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
@@ -534,7 +548,12 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 What then will we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be.
-\v 15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
+\v 15 For he says to Moses, 
+\b
+\q "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, 
+\q2 and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
+\b
+
 \p
 \v 16 So then, it is not because of him who wills, nor because of him who runs, but because of God, who shows mercy.
 
@@ -555,26 +574,34 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 25 As he says also in Hosea:
-\q "I will call my people who were not my people,
-\q and her beloved who was not beloved.
+\b
+\q "I will call them 'my people' who were not my people,
+\q2 and her 'beloved' who was not beloved.
 \q
-\v 26 Then it will be that where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'
-\q there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"
-\m
+\v 26 Then it will be that where it was said to them, 
+\q2 'You are not my people,'
+\q2 there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,
+\b
+
 \q "Though the number of the sons of Israel were as the sand of the sea,
-\q it will be a remnant that will be saved,
-\q
-\v 28 for the Lord will execute his word on the earth
-\q completely and without delay."
+\q2 it will be a remnant that will be saved,
 \q
+\v 28 for the Lord will execute his word 
+\q2 on the earth completely and without delay."
+\b
+
+\p
 \v 29 As Isaiah had said previously,
-\q "If the Lord of hosts had not left us descendants,
+\b
+\q "If the Lord of hosts 
+\q2 had not left us descendants,
 \q we would be like Sodom,
-\q and we would have become like Gomorrah."
+\q2 and we would have become like Gomorrah."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -584,8 +611,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 32 Why not? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling,
 \v 33 as it has been written,
-\q "Look, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
-\q He who believes in it will not be ashamed."
+\b
+\q "Look, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling
+\q2  and a rock of offense.
+\q2 He who believes in it will not be ashamed."
 
 \s5
 \c 10
@@ -603,9 +632,7 @@
 \v 7 and do not say, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
 
 \s5
-\v 8 But what does it say?
-\q "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart."
-\p That is the word of faith, which we proclaim.
+\v 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." That is the word of faith, which we proclaim.
 \v 9 For if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
 \v 10 For with the heart one believes and has righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
 
@@ -625,25 +652,31 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 18 But I say, "Did they not hear?" Yes, most certainly.
+\b
 \q "Their sound has gone out into all the earth,
-\q and their words to the ends of the world."
-\m
+\q2 and their words to the ends of the world."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 19 Moreover, I say, "Did Israel not know?" First Moses says,
+\b
 \q "I will provoke you to jealousy by what is not a nation.
-\q By means of a nation without understanding, I will stir you up to anger."
-\m
+\q2 By means of a nation without understanding, I will stir you up to anger."
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 20 Then Isaiah was very bold when he says,
-\q "I was found by those who did not seek me.
-\q I appeared to those who did not ask for me."
 \m
 \p
-\v 21 But to Israel he says, "All the day long I reached out my hands to a disobedient and stubborn people."
+\v 20 Then Isaiah was very bold when he says,
+\b
+\q "I was found by those who did not seek me.
+\q2 I appeared to those who did not ask for me."
+\m
+\p
+\v 21 But to Israel he says, 
+\b
+\q "All the day long I reached out my hands 
+\q2 to a disobedient and stubborn people."
 
 \s5
 \c 11
@@ -659,16 +692,22 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer based on works. Otherwise grace would no longer be grace. \f + \ft Some old copies read \fqa But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work \fqa* . \f*
 \v 7 What then? The thing that Israel was seeking, it did not obtain, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.
-\v 8 It is just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of dullness, eyes so that they should not see, and ears so that they should not hear, to this very day."
+\v 8 It is just as it is written: 
+\b
+\q "God has given them a spirit of dullness, 
+\q2 eyes so that they should not see, 
+\q and ears so that they should not hear, 
+\q2 to this very day."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 Then David says,
+\b
 \q "Let their table become a snare and a trap,
-\q a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
+\q2 a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
 \q
 \v 10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,
-\q and bend their backs continually."
+\q2 and bend their backs continually."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -705,14 +744,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 26 Thus all Israel will be saved, just as it is written:
+\b
 \q "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer.
-\q He will remove ungodliness from Jacob,
+\q2 He will remove ungodliness from Jacob,
 \q
 \v 27 and this will be my covenant with them,
-\q when I will take away their sins."
-\m
+\q2 when I will take away their sins."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they are beloved because of the patriarchs.
 \v 29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
@@ -721,20 +761,24 @@
 \v 30 For just as you were formerly disobedient to God, now you have received mercy because of their disobedience.
 \v 31 In the same way, now these Jews have been disobedient. The result was that by the mercy shown to you they may also now receive mercy.
 \v 32 For God has shut up all into disobedience in order that he might show mercy on all.
+\b
 
 \s5
-\p
-\v 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways beyond discovering!
+\q
+\v 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! 
+\q2 How unsearchable are his judgments, 
+\q2 and his ways beyond discovering!
 \q
 \v 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord
-\q or who has become his advisor?
+\q2 or who has become his advisor?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 35 Or who has first given anything to God,
-\q that God must repay him?"
+\q2 that God must repay him?"
 \p
-\v 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
+\v 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. 
+\q2 To him be the glory forever. Amen.
 
 \s5
 \c 12
@@ -776,9 +820,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give way to the wrath of God. For it is written, "'Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,' says the Lord."
+\b
 \q
 \v 20 But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him.
-\q If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
+\q2 If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
 \q For if you do this, you will heap coals of fire on his head."
 \m
 \p
@@ -791,7 +836,7 @@
 \v 2 Therefore he who rebels against that authority opposes the command of God; and those who oppose it will receive judgment on themselves.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 For rulers are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil deeds. Do you desire to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive his praise.
+\v 3 For rulers are not a terror to those who do good deeds, but to those who do evil deeds. Do you desire to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive his praise.
 \v 4 For he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for he does not carry the sword for no reason. For he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath on the one who does evil.
 \v 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of the wrath, but also because of conscience.
 
@@ -802,7 +847,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
-\v 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not covet," and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
+\v 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet," and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
 \v 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.
 
 \s5
@@ -836,11 +881,13 @@
 \s5
 \v 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? And you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
 \v 11 For it is written,
-\q "As I live," says the Lord, "to me every knee will bend,
-\q and every tongue will confess to God."
-\m
+\b
+\q "As I live," says the Lord, "
+\q2 to me every knee will bend,
+\q2 and every tongue will confess to God."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 12 So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
 \p
@@ -873,7 +920,7 @@
 \v 2 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, in order to build him up.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 For even Christ did not please himself. Instead, it was just as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."
+\v 3 For even Christ did not please himself. Instead, it was just as it is written, "The insults of those who insulted you fell on me."
 \v 4 For whatever was previously written was written for our instruction in order that through patience and through encouragement of the scriptures we would have hope.
 
 \s5
@@ -885,24 +932,30 @@
 \s5
 \v 8 For I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision on behalf of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
 \v 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
+\b
 \q "Therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles
-\q and sing praise to your name."
-\m
+\q2 and sing praise to your name."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 10 Again it says,
+\b
 \q "Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people."
 \p
 \v 11 And again,
+\b
 \q "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
-\q let all the peoples praise him."
-\m
+\q2 let all the peoples praise him."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 12 Again, Isaiah says,
-\q "The root of Jesse will come, the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will have hope."
+\b
+\q "The root of Jesse will come, 
+\q2 the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles; 
+\q2 in him the Gentiles will have hope."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -914,18 +967,20 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But I am writing more boldly to you about some things in order to remind you again, because of the grace given me by God.
-\v 16 This gift was that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus sent to the Gentiles, to offer as a priest the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
+\v 16 This grace was that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus sent to the Gentiles, to offer as a priest the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 In Christ Jesus I have reason to boast of my service for God.
 \v 18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me for the obedience of the Gentiles. These are things done by word and action,
-\v 19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit. This was so that from Jerusalem, and round about as far as Illyricum, I might fully carry out the gospel of Christ.
+\v 19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. This was so that from Jerusalem, and round about as far as Illyricum, I might fully carry out the gospel of Christ.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 In this way, my desire has been to proclaim the gospel, but not where Christ is known by name, in order that I might not build upon another man's foundation.
 \v 21 It is as it is written:
+\b
 \q "Those to whom no report of him came will see him,
-\q and those who have not heard will understand."
+\q2 and those who have not heard will understand."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -941,7 +996,7 @@
 \v 27 Yes, it was their good pleasure, and they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they owe it to the Jews to minister to them with their material things.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 Therefore, when I have completed this task and have sealed this fruit to them, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.
+\v 28 Therefore, when I have completed this task and have made sure that they receive all that was collected, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.
 \v 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
 
 \s5
@@ -956,7 +1011,7 @@
 \s5
 \c 16
 \p
-\v 1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is in Cenchrea,
+\v 1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is in Cenchreae,
 \v 2 in order that you may receive her in the Lord. Do this in a manner worthy of God's holy people, and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many and to myself as well.
 
 \s5
@@ -1016,15 +1071,14 @@
 \v 24 \f + \ft The best ancient copies do not have this verse. (See: Romans 16:20). v. 24 \fqa May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
-\p
 \q
 \v 25 Now to him who is able to make you strong according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
 \q according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages
 \q
 \v 26 but now has been revealed and made known through the prophetic writings to all nations,
 \q by the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—
-\q
 
 \s5
+\q
 \v 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen.
 

47-1CO.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Corinthians
 \toc1 The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians
-\toc2 First Corinthians
+\toc2 1 Corinthians
 \toc3 1Co
 \mt First Corinthians
 
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Therefore you lack no spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-\v 8 He will also cause you to believe firmly to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
+\v 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 \v 9 God is faithful, who called you into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
 \s5
@@ -47,11 +47,13 @@
 \p
 \v 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But among those who are being saved, it is the power of God.
 \v 19 For it is written,
+\b
 \q "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.
-\q I will set aside the understanding of the intelligent."
-\m
+\q2 I will set aside the understanding of the intelligent."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this world? Has not God turned the wisdom of the world into foolishness?
 \v 21 Since the world in its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.
@@ -84,8 +86,8 @@
 \v 2 For I decided to know nothing when I was among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
-\v 4 And my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom. Instead, they were with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
+\v 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
+\v 4 And my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
 \v 5 so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of humans, but in the power of God.
 
 \s5
@@ -96,14 +98,17 @@
 \s5
 \v 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
 \v 9 But as it is written,
-\q "No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
+\b
+\q "No eye has seen, 
+\q2 no ear has heard,
 \q no human heart has imagined
-\q1 what God has prepared for those who love him"—
-\m
+\q2 what God has prepared for those who love him"—
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
-\v 10 But God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything out, even the deep things of God.
+\v 10 For God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything out, even the deep things of God. \f + \ft Some ancient Greek copies say \fqa But God \fqa* but following our Greek source, it reads,\fqa For God \fqa* . \f*
 \v 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of the person in him? So also, no one knows the deep things of God except the Spirit of God.
 
 \s5
@@ -113,8 +118,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 The unspiritual person does not receive the things that belong to the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
 \v 15 The one who is spiritual judges all things, but he is not judged by others.
+\b
 \q
-\v 16 "For who can know the mind of the Lord, that he can instruct him?"
+\v 16 "For who can know the mind of the Lord, 
+\q2 that he can instruct him?"
+\b
 \m But we have the mind of Christ.
 
 \s5
@@ -162,9 +170,9 @@
 \m
 \v 20 And again,
 \q "The Lord knows that the reasoning of the wise is futile."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 21 For this reason, let no one boast in men. All things are yours,
 \v 22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All things are yours,
 \v 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
@@ -177,7 +185,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But for me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. For I do not even judge myself.
-\v 4 I am not aware of any charge being made against me, but that does not mean I am declared innocent. The one who judges me is the Lord.
+\v 4 I am not aware of any charge being made against me, but that does not justify me. The one who judges me is the Lord.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment about anything before the time, before the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his praise from God.
@@ -198,8 +206,8 @@
 \v 11 Up to this present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are beaten, and we are homeless.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 We labor hard, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure.
-\v 13 When we are slandered, we speak with kindness. We have become as the refuse of the world and the filthiest of all things.
+\v 12 We labor hard, working with our own hands. When we are slandered, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure.
+\v 13 When we are slandered, we speak with kindness. We have become as the refuse of the world and the filthiest of all things, even till now.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -225,7 +233,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 For even though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as though I were there.
 \v 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
-\v 5 commit this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
+\v 5 deliver this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole loaf?
@@ -242,27 +250,27 @@
 \v 12 For how am I involved with judging those who are outside the church? Instead, are you not to judge those who are inside the church?
 \v 13 But God judges those who are on the outside.
 \q "Remove the evil person from among you."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \c 6
 \p
-\v 1 When one of you has a dispute against another, does he dare to go to law before the unrighteous rather than before God's holy people?
+\v 1 When one of you has a dispute against another, does he dare to bring a lawsuit before the unrighteous rather than before God's holy people?
 \v 2 Do you not know that God's holy people will judge the world? If then you will judge the world, are you not able to settle matters of little importance?
 \v 3 Do you not know that we will judge the angels? How much more, then, can we judge matters of this life?
 
 \s5
 \v 4 If then you have to make judgments that pertain to daily life, why do you lay such cases as these before those who have no standing in the church?
 \v 5 I say this to your shame. Is there no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between brothers?
-\v 6 But one brother goes to law against another brother—and this before unbelievers!
+\v 6 But one brother brings a lawsuit against another brother—and this before unbelievers!
 
 \s5
 \v 7 The fact that you have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather allow yourselves to be cheated?
 \v 8 But you yourselves do wrong and you cheat, and you do this to your own brothers!
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, those who practice homosexuality,
-\v 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers—none of them will inherit the kingdom of God.
+\v 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to homosexual acts, nor men who perform homosexual acts, 
+\v 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
 \v 11 That is what some of you were like. But you have been cleansed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
 
 \s5
@@ -328,7 +336,7 @@
 \v 21 Were you a slave when God called you? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can become free, take advantage of it.
 \v 22 For someone who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freeman. In the same way, the one who was free when he was called to believe is Christ's slave.
 \v 23 You have been bought with a price, so do not become slaves of men.
-\v 24 Brothers, in whatever situation he was in when he was called, let each one remain with God.
+\v 24 Brothers, in whatever situation he was in when he was called, let each one remain with God in that.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -372,9 +380,9 @@
 \v 4 Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol in this world is nothing and that there is no God but one.
 \v 5 For even if there were so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth (just as there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
 \v 6 yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist, and through whom we exist.
-\p
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 7 However, this knowledge is not in everyone. Instead, some previously practiced idol worship, and they eat this food as if it were something sacrificed to an idol. Their conscience is thereby defiled because it is weak.
 
 \s5
@@ -396,8 +404,8 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 This is my defense to those who examine me:
 \v 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
-\v 5 Do we not have the right to take along with us a sister wife, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
-\v 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no authority to not labor?
+\v 5 Do we not have the right to take along a wife who is a believer, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
+\v 6 Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to not work at a trade?
 
 \s5
 \v 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink milk from it?
@@ -532,7 +540,7 @@
 \p
 \v 17 But in the following instructions, I do not praise you. For when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse.
 \v 18 For in the first place, I hear that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
-\v 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become visible among you.
+\v 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 For when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.
@@ -680,10 +688,13 @@
 \p
 \v 20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Rather, in regard to evil, be like infants. But in your thinking be mature.
 \v 21 In the law it is written,
-\q "By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers
-\q1 I will speak to this people.
-\q Even then they will not hear me,"
-\m says the Lord.
+\b
+\q "By men of strange tongues 
+\q2 and by the lips of strangers
+\q I will speak to this people.
+\q2 Even then they will not hear me,"
+\q2 says the Lord.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -788,7 +799,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 31 I die every day! This is as sure as my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-\v 32 What do I gain, from a human point of view, if I fought with beasts at Ephesus, if the dead are not raised? "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
+\v 32 What do I gain, from a human point of view, if I fought with beasts at Ephesus, if the dead are not raised?
+\b
+\q "Let us eat and drink, 
+\q2 for tomorrow we die."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -833,21 +848,22 @@
 \v 53 For this perishable body must put on what is imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
 
 \s5
-\v 54 But when this perishable body has put on what is imperishable, and when this mortal body has put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written,
-\q "Death is swallowed up in victory."
-\q1
-\p
+\v 54 But when this perishable body has put on what is imperishable, and when this mortal body has put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."
+\b
+
+\q
 \v 55 "Death, where is your victory?
-\q Death, where is your sting?"
-\m
+\q2 Death, where is your sting?"
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
 \v 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
 
 \s5
-\v 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always abound in the work of the Lord, because you know that your toil in the Lord is not in vain.
+\v 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always abound in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
 
 \s5
 \c 16
@@ -856,7 +872,7 @@
 \v 2 On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper. Do this so that there will be no collections when I come.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 When I arrive, to whoever you approve, I will give letters of introduction to them and will send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
+\v 3 When I arrive, to whomever you approve, I will give letters of introduction to them and will send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
 \v 4 If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.
 
 \s5
@@ -898,5 +914,5 @@
 \v 21 I, Paul, write this with my own hand.
 \v 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, may he be accursed. Our Lord, come!
 \v 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
-\v 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. \f + \ft A few important and ancient Greek copies and some ancient translations have \fqa Amen \fqa* at the end of verse 24. But many important ancient Greek copies, as well as many ancient translations, do not have \fqa Amen \fqa* at the end. \f
+\v 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. \f + \ft A few important and ancient Greek copies and some ancient translations have \fqa Amen \fqa* at the end of verse 24. But many important ancient Greek copies, as well as many ancient translations, do not have \fqa Amen \fqa* at the end. \f*
 

48-2CO.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Corinthians
 \toc1 The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians
-\toc2 Second Corinthians
+\toc2 2 Corinthians
 \toc3 2Co
 \mt Second Corinthians
 
@@ -29,17 +29,17 @@
 \v 10 He rescued us from such a deadly peril, and he will rescue us. On him we have set our hope that he will rescue us.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 He will do this as you also help us by your prayer. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the prayers of many.
+\v 11 He will do this as you also help us by your prayer. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor given to us through the prayers of many.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Our reason for boasting is this: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with integrity and godly sincerity, not relying on fleshly wisdom but on the grace of God.
+\v 12 Our boast is this: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with integrity and godly sincerity, not relying on fleshly wisdom but on the grace of God.
 \v 13 We write to you nothing that you cannot read and understand, and I hope that you will fully understand
 \v 14 as you have understood us in part, that you can boast of us on the day of our Lord Jesus, just as we will boast of you.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 15 Because I was confident about this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might receive a second gracious gift.
+\v 15 Because I was confident about this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might receive a second favor.
 \v 16 I was planning to visit you on my way to Macedonia. Then I wanted to visit you again on my trip from Macedonia, and then for you to send me on my way to Judea.
 
 \s5
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 But I call God as witness to my soul that the reason I did not come to Corinth was so that I might spare you.
-\v 24 This is not because we want to be lords over your faith. Instead, we are fellow laborers with you for your joy, as you stand in your faith.
+\v 24 This is not because we want to be lords over your faith. Instead, we are fellow laborers with you for your joy, as you stand firm in your faith.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -106,11 +106,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 And this is the confidence that we have through Christ before God.
-\v 5 We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Instead, our competence is from God.
+\v 5 We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Rather, our competence is from God.
 \v 6 It is God who made us able to be servants of a new covenant. This is a covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Now the ministry of death—engraved in letters on stones—came in such glory that the sons of Israel could not look directly at Moses's face. This is because of the glory of his face, a glory that was fading.
+\v 7 Now the ministry of death—engraved in letters on stones—came in such glory that the sons of Israel could not look directly at Moses' face. This is because of the glory of his face, a glory that was fading.
 \v 8 How much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?
 
 \s5
@@ -136,25 +136,25 @@
 \c 4
 \p
 \v 1 Therefore, because we have this ministry, and just as we have received mercy, we do not become discouraged.
-\v 2 Instead, we have rejected secret and shameful ways. We do not walk in craftiness, and we do not mishandle the word of God. By presenting the truth, we recommend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
+\v 2 Instead, we have rejected secret and shameful ways. We do not walk in craftiness, and we do not mishandle the word of God, but by presenting the truth, we recommend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
 \v 4 In their case, the god of this world has blinded their unbelieving minds. As a result, they are not able to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus's sake.
+\v 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
 \v 6 For God is the one who said, "Light will shine out of darkness." He has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the presence of Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that it is clear that the exceedingly great power belongs to God and not to us.
 \v 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not overwhelmed. We are perplexed but not filled with despair.
-\v 9 We are persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed;
+\v 9 We are persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed;
 \v 10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus's sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.
+\v 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.
 \v 12 So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
 
 \s5
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people. What we are is clearly seen by God, and I hope that it is also clear to your conscience.
-\v 12 We are not trying to persuade you again to view us as sincere. Instead, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you may have an answer for those who boast about appearances but not about what is in the heart.
+\v 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you may have an answer for those who boast about appearances but not about what is in the heart.
 
 \s5
 \v 13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; and if we are in our right minds, it is for your sake.
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@
 \v 15 He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
 
 \s5
-\v 16 For this reason, from now on we do not recognize anyone according to the flesh, even though we once knew Christ according to the flesh. But now we no longer know.
+\v 16 For this reason, from now on we do not regard anyone according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh. But now we no longer regard him that way.
 \v 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. See, they have become new.
 
 \s5
@@ -216,21 +216,23 @@
 \p
 \v 1 Working together with him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
 \v 2 For he says,
+\b
 \q "In a favorable time I paid attention to you,
-\q and in the day of salvation I helped you."
+\q2 and in the day of salvation I helped you."
+\b
 \m Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.
 \v 3 We do not place a stumbling block in front of anyone, for we do not wish our ministry to be discredited.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Instead, we prove ourselves by all our actions, that we are God's servants. We are his servants in much endurance, affliction, distress, hardship,
-\v 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, in hard labor, in sleepless nights, in hunger,
-\v 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love.
-\v 7 We are his servants in the word of truth, in the power of God. We have the armor of righteousness for the right hand and for the left.
+\v 4 Instead, in every way we commend ourselves as God's servants in much endurance, in affliction, in distress, in hardship,
+\v 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in hard labor, in sleepless nights, in hunger,
+\v 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love,
+\v 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; with the armor of righteousness for the right hand and the left.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 We work in glory and dishonor, in slander and praise, as deceivers and yet truthful.
-\v 9 We work as if we were unknown and we are still well known. We work as dying and—see!—we are still living. We work as being punished for our actions but not as condemned to death.
-\v 10 We work as sorrowful, but we are always rejoicing. We work as poor, but we are making many rich. We work as having nothing and yet as possessing all things.
+\v 8 We are God's servants in glory and dishonor, in slander and praise; regarded as deceivers and yet truthful;
+\v 9 as unknown, yet well known; as dying, yet, look, we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed;
+\v 10 as sorrowful, yet rejoicing; as poor, yet many are enriched; as having nothing, yet possessing all things.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -242,22 +244,26 @@
 \v 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what association does righteousness have with lawlessness? For what fellowship does light have with darkness?
 \v 15 What agreement can Christ have with Belial? Or what share does a believer have together with an unbeliever?
 \v 16 And what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said:
-\q "I will dwell among them and walk among them.
+\b
+\q "I will dwell among them 
+\q2 and walk among them.
 \q I will be their God,
-\q1 and they will be my people."
-\m
+\q2 and they will be my people."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 17 Therefore,
+\b
 \q "Come out from among them,
-\q1 and be set apart," says the Lord.
+\q2 and be set apart," says the Lord.
 \q "Touch no unclean thing,
-\q1 and I will welcome you.
+\q2 and I will welcome you.
 \q
 \v 18 I will be a Father to you,
-\q and you will be my sons and daughters,"
-\m says the Lord Almighty.
+\q2 and you will be my sons and daughters,"
+\q2 says the Lord Almighty.
 
 \s5
 \c 7
@@ -272,7 +278,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 When we came to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way by conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside.
+\v 5 When we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way by conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside.
 \v 6 But God, who comforts the lowly, comforted us by the arrival of Titus.
 \v 7 It was not only by his arrival that God comforted us. It was also by the comfort that Titus had received from you. He told us of your great affection, your sorrow, and your zeal for me. So I rejoiced even more.
 
@@ -287,7 +293,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 It is by this that we are encouraged.
-\p In addition to our own comfort, we also rejoiced even more because of Titus's joy, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.
+\p In addition to our own comfort, we also rejoiced even more because of Titus' joy, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.
 \v 14 For if I boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame. On the contrary, just as everything we said to you was true, our boasting about you to Titus proved to be true.
 
 \s5
@@ -307,10 +313,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 So we urged Titus, who had already begun this task, to complete among you this act of grace.
-\v 7 But you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us. So also make sure that you excel in this act of grace. \f + \ft There is evidence that corrections were made to verse 7 by later copyists who were referring to other ancient texts. Most modern versions follow those corrections, and they now read, \fqa and in your love for us \fqa* . But there are some important and ancient Greek copies that read, \fqa and in our love for you \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 But you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us. So also make sure that you excel in this act of grace. \f + \ft There is evidence that corrections were made to verse 7 by later copyists who were referring to other ancient texts. Most modern translations follow those corrections, and they now read, \fqa and in your love for us \fqa* . But there are some important and ancient Greek copies that read, \fqa and in our love for you \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
-\v 8 I say this not as a command. Instead, I say this in order to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the eagerness of other people.
+\v 8 I say this not as a command but to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the eagerness of other people.
 \v 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.
 
 \s5
@@ -319,16 +325,16 @@
 \v 12 For if you are eager to do this deed, it is a good and acceptable thing. It must be based on what a person has, not on what he does not have.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 For this is not as relief for others and tribulation for you. Instead, there should be fairness.
+\v 13 For this is not to cause relief for others and tribulation for you, but for fairness.
 \v 14 Your abundance at the present time will supply what they need. This is also so that their abundance may supply your need, and so that there may be fairness.
 \v 15 It is as it is written:
 \q "The one with much did not have anything left over,
 \q1 and the one who had little did not have any lack."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
-\v 16 But thanks be to God, who put into Titus's heart the same earnest care that I have for you.
+\v 16 But thanks be to God, who put into Titus' heart the same earnest care that I have for you.
 \v 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but he was also very earnest about it. He came to you of his own free will.
 
 \s5
@@ -363,11 +369,13 @@
 \s5
 \v 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow for you, so that, always, in all things, you may have all you need. This will be so that you may multiply every good deed.
 \v 9 It is as it is written:
+\b
 \q "He has distributed his riches and given them to the poor.
-\q1 His righteousness lasts forever."
-\m
+\q2 His righteousness lasts forever."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 10 He who supplies seed to the farmer who sows and bread for food will also supply and multiply your seed for sowing. He will increase the harvest of your righteousness.
 \v 11 You will be enriched in every way so you can be generous. This will bring about thanksgiving to God through us.
@@ -386,7 +394,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 For even though we walk in the flesh, we do not make war according to the flesh.
-\v 4 For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly. Instead, they have divine power to destroy strongholds. They bring to nothing misleading arguments.
+\v 4 For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly. Rather, they have divine power to destroy strongholds. They bring misleading arguments to nothing.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 We also destroy every high thing that rises up against the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive into obedience to Christ.
@@ -405,18 +413,18 @@
 \v 12 We are not so bold as to group ourselves or compare ourselves with those who praise themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with each other, they have no insight.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 We, however, will not boast beyond limits. Instead, we will do so only within the limits of what God has assigned to us, limits that reach as far as you.
-\v 14 For we did not overextend ourselves when we reached you. We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ.
+\v 13 We, however, will not boast beyond limits. Instead, we will do so only within the limits of what God has assigned to us, limits that reach even as far as you.
+\v 14 For we are not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you. We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 We have not boasted beyond limits about the labors of others. Instead, our hope is that as your faith continues to grow, our work among you will greatly expand.
-\v 16 We hope for this, so that we may preach the gospel even in regions beyond you. We will not boast about the work being done in another's area.
+\v 15 We have not boasted beyond limits about the labors of others. Rather, our hope is that as your faith continues to grow, our work among you will greatly expand,
+\v 16 so that we may preach the gospel even in regions beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 17 "But let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
 \m
-\v 18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved. Instead, it is the one whom the Lord recommends.
+\v 18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord recommends.
 
 \s5
 \c 11
@@ -491,7 +499,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know, God knows—
-\v 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words that it is unlawful for people to speak.
+\v 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words that people are not permitted to speak.
 \v 5 On behalf of such a person I will boast. But on behalf of myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
 
 \s5
@@ -521,7 +529,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 19 Do you think all of this time we have been defending ourselves to you? In the sight of God, beloved, we have in Christ been saying everything for your strengthening.
+\v 19 Do you think all of this time we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we speak in Christ, and all for your strengthening, beloved.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 For I fear that when I come I may not find you as I wish. I fear that you might not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalries, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.
@@ -534,7 +542,7 @@
 \v 2 I have already said to those who sinned before and to all the rest when I was there the second time, and I say it again: When I come again, I will not spare them.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 I tell you this because you are looking for proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you. Instead, he is powerful in you.
+\v 3 I tell you this because you are looking for proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you. Rather, he is powerful in you.
 \v 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but he is alive by God's power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him by the power of God among you.
 
 \s5
@@ -542,7 +550,7 @@
 \v 6 And I hope that you will recognize that we have not failed the test.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Now we pray to God that you may not do any wrong. I do not pray that we may appear to have passed the test. Instead, I pray that you may do what is proper, although we may seem to have failed the test.
+\v 7 Now we pray to God that you may not do any wrong. I do not pray this so that we may appear to have passed the test. Rather, I pray that you may do what is proper, although we may seem to have failed the test.
 \v 8 For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
 
 \s5
@@ -552,11 +560,9 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice! Work for restoration, be encouraged, think alike, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
-\v 12 Greet each other with a holy kiss.
+\v 12 Greet each other with a holy kiss. All God's holy people greet you. \f + \ft Some copies number this sentence as verse 13. \f*
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 All God's holy people greet you. \f + \ft Some translations combine verse 13 with verse 12 and number verse 14 as verse 13. \f*
-\p
-\v 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
+\v 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. \f + \ft Some translations number this sentence as verse 14. \f*
 

49-GAL.usfm

@@ -85,15 +85,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
-\v 16 yet we know that no person is justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. We also have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.
+\v 16 yet we know that no person is justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Absolutely not!
 \v 18 For if I rebuild those things I once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
-\v 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God.
+\v 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. \f + \ft Some translations include this sentence with verse 20. \f*
 
 \s5
-\v 20 I have been crucified with Christ. \f + \ft Some translations include this sentence with verse 19. \f* It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
+\v 20 It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
 \v 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing!
 
 \s5
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@
 \v 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now going to be perfected by the flesh?
 
 \s5
-\v 4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed it was in vain?
-\v 5 Does he who gives the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
+\v 4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing?
+\v 5 Does he who gives the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Just as Abraham "believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
@@ -132,12 +132,12 @@
 \v 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, then it no longer comes by promise. But God freely gave it to Abraham by a promise.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the descendant of Abraham would come to whom the promise had been made. The law was ordained through angels by the hands of a mediator.
-\v 20 Now a mediator implies more than one person, but God is one.
+\v 19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the descendant of Abraham would come to whom the promise had been made. The law was ordained through angels by the hand of an intermediary.
+\v 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one person. But God is one.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 So is the law against the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
-\v 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin. God did this so that the promise to save us by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
+\v 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -159,11 +159,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 So also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of the world.
-\v 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
-\v 5 He did this to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
+\v 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law
+\v 5 so that he might redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, who cries out, "Abba, Father."
+\v 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who cries out, "Abba, Father."
 \v 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then you are also an heir through God.
 
 \s5
@@ -173,13 +173,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 10 You observe days and new moons and seasons and years!
-\v 11 I am afraid for you that somehow my labor with you may have been in vain.
+\v 11 I am afraid for you that somehow my labor with you may have been for nothing.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 12 I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I also have become like you. You did me no wrong.
-\v 13 But you know that it was because of a disease of the flesh that I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time.
-\v 14 Though my flesh put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
+\v 13 But you know that it was because of a disease of the flesh that I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time,
+\v 14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Where then is your blessing now? For I testify to you that, if it were possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me.
@@ -206,14 +206,14 @@
 \s5
 \v 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
 \v 27 For it is written,
-\q "Rejoice, you barren one who does not give birth;
-\q cry out and shout for joy, you who are not suffering the pains of childbirth;
-\q because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous
-\q than those of the woman who has a husband."
-\m
-\p
+\q1 "Rejoice, you barren one who does not give birth;
+\q2 cry out and shout for joy, 
+\q2 you who are not suffering the pains of childbirth;
+\q1 because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous
+\q2 than those of the woman who has a husband."
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 28 But you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
 \v 29 At that time the one who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit. It is the same now.

50-EPH.usfm

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 \v 10 with a view to a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things together, all things in heaven and on earth, under one head, even Christ.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 In Christ we were appointed by lot, predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything according to the purpose of his will.
+\v 11 In Christ we were given an inheritance, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything according to the purpose of his will.
 \v 12 God appointed us as heirs so that we, who are the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of his glory.
 
 \s5
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 \v 21 He seated Christ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. Christ will rule, not only in this age, but also in the age to come.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 God put all things in subjection under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as head over all things.
+\v 22 God subjected all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as head over all things.
 \v 23 The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
 
 \s5
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away from God have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
-\v 14 For he is our peace. He made the two one. He destroyed the barrier, the wall of hostility that divided us
-\v 15 by his flesh. He abolished the law of commandments and ordinances so that he might create one new man in himself, and so making peace.
+\v 14 For he himself is our peace, because he made us both one. By his flesh he broke down the dividing wall of hostility.
+\v 15 He set aside the law with its commands and ordinances so that he might create in himself one new man out of two, so making peace.
 \v 16 Christ reconciles both peoples into one body to God through the cross, putting to death the hostility.
 
 \s5
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
 \v 18 For through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 So then, now you Gentiles are no longer foreigners and strangers. Instead you are fellow citizens with God's holy people and members of the household of God.
+\v 19 So then, now you Gentiles are no longer foreigners and strangers. Rather you are fellow citizens with God's holy people and members of the household of God.
 \v 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.
 \v 21 In him the whole building fits together and grows as a holy temple in the Lord.
 \v 22 It is in him that you also are being built together as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
@@ -98,16 +98,17 @@
 \s5
 \c 3
 \p
-\v 1 Because of this I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles.
+\v 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—
 \v 2 I assume that you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God that was given to me for you.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 I am writing according to the revelation made known to me. This is the hidden truth about which I briefly wrote to you.
-\v 4 When you read about this, you will be able to understand my insight into this hidden truth about Christ.
-\v 5 In other generations this truth was not made known to the sons of men. But now it has been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
+\v 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
+\v 4 When you read about this, you will be able to understand my insight into this mystery about Christ.
+\v 5 In other generations this mystery was not made known to the sons of men. But now it has been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
 
 \s5
 \v 6 This hidden truth is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and they share the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
+\p
 \v 7 For I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given to me through the working of his power.
 
 \s5
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@
 \v 16 I pray that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, who is in your inner person.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, with your roots and foundation in his love,
+\v 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts through faith and that you may be rooted and founded in his love,
 \v 18 in order that you might be able to understand, along with all God's holy people, what is the width, the length, the height, and the depth,
 \v 19 and to know the love of Christ, which goes beyond knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
 
@@ -156,17 +157,17 @@
 \q "When he ascended on high,
 \q he led the captives into captivity,
 \q and he gave gifts to the people."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 9 What is the meaning of "he ascended," except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth?
 \v 10 He who descended is the same person who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.
-\v 12 He gave these offices to equip God's holy people for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ.
-\v 13 He continues to build up his body until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and that we become mature and so reach the measure of the fullness of Christ.
+\v 11 Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers
+\v 12 to equip God's holy people for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ,
+\v 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, so that we become mature and reach the measure of the fullness of Christ.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Christ builds us up so that we should no longer be children who are tossed back and forth by the waves, carried away by every wind of doctrine and by the trickery of people in their deceitful schemes.

51-PHP.usfm

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 \v 3 I thank my God every time I remember you,
 \v 4 always, in every prayer of mine for all of you, making my prayer with joy
 \v 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
-\v 6 I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
+\v 6 I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
 
 \s5
 \v 7 It is proper for me to feel this way about all of you because I have you in my heart. You all have been my partners in grace both in my imprisonment and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel.
@@ -75,28 +75,31 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Have this mind in yourselves which also was in Christ Jesus,
+\b
 \q
 \v 6 who, though he existed in the form of God,
-\q did not consider his equality with God
-\q as something to hold on to.
+\q2 did not consider his equality with God as something to hold on to.
 \q
-\v 7 Instead, he emptied himself
-\q by taking the form of a servant,
-\q and he was born in the likeness of men.
-\q
-\v 8 He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death,
-\q even death on a cross!
+\v 7 Rather, he emptied himself,
+\q2 taking the form of a servant,
+\q2 and he was born in the likeness of men.
+\q And being found in the form of a man,
+\q2
+\v 8 he humbled himself 
+\q2 and became obedient to the point of death,
+\q2 even death on a cross!
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him.
-\q He freely gave him the name that is above every name.
+\v 9 Therefore also God highly exalted him
+\q2 and gave him the name that is above every name,
 \q
-\v 10 He did this so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
-\q the knees of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
+\v 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
+\q2 in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 \q
-\v 11 He did this so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
-\q to the glory of God the Father.
+\v 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
+\q2 to the glory of God the Father.
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -130,8 +133,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 28 So it is all the more eagerly that I am sending him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I can have less sorrow.
-\v 29 Welcome Epaphroditus in the Lord with all joy. Honor people like him.
-\v 30 For it was for the work of Christ that he came near death. He risked his life to serve me and bring to completion what what you were unable to complete in your service to me.
+\v 29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with all joy. Honor people like him.
+\v 30 For it was for the work of Christ that he came near death. He risked his life so that he could bring to completion what was lacking in your service to me.
 
 \s5
 \c 3
@@ -161,7 +164,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 All of us who are mature, let us think this way; and if you think differently about anything, God will also reveal that to you.
-\v 16 In any case, with a view to what we have attained, let us keep living according to the same standard.
+\v 16 Nevertheless, let us live up to what we have already attained. 
 
 \s5
 \p

52-COL.usfm

@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@
 \v 3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we always pray for you.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all God's holy people.
-\v 5 You have this love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You heard about this hope before in the word of truth, the gospel,
-\v 6 which has come to you. This gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world. It has been doing this in you also from the day you heard it and learned about the grace of God in truth.
+\v 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all God's holy people,
+\v 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, which you heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 
+\v 6 which has come to you. In the same way this gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa on our behalf \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa on your behalf \fqa* . \f*
 \v 8 Epaphras has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
 
 \s5
@@ -44,13 +44,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 18 He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so he has first place among all things.
-\v 19 For God was pleased that all his fullness should live in him,
-\v 20 and to reconcile through the Son all things to himself. God made peace through the blood of his cross. God reconciled all things to himself, whether the things on the earth or the things in heaven.
+\v 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son,
+\v 20 and through the Son to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
 
 \s5
 \v 21 At one time you also were alienated and hostile in mind and in evil deeds.
-\v 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death. He did this in order to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach before him,
-\v 23 if you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This is the gospel that was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.
+\v 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, blameless, and above accusation before him,
+\v 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.  
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 \v 27 It is to them that God wanted to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
 
 \s5
-\v 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.
+\v 28 We proclaim him, warning every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.
 \v 29 For this I labor and strive according to his energy that is at work in me in power.
 
 \s5
@@ -127,12 +127,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old man with its practices,
-\v 10 and you have put on the new man that is being made new in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.
-\v 11 This is where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and is in all.
+\v 10 and you have put on the new man that is being made new in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it,
+\v 11 where there is no Greek or Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
+\v 12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
 \v 13 Bear with one another. Be gracious to each other. If someone has a complaint against someone else, forgive in the same way that the Lord has forgiven you.
 \v 14 Above all these things, have love, which is the bond of perfection.
 
@@ -157,12 +157,12 @@
 \s5
 \c 4
 \p
-\v 1 Masters, give to slaves what is right and fair, knowing you also have a master in heaven.
+\v 1 Masters, give to slaves what is right and fair, knowing you also have a Master in heaven.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer. Stay alert in it in thanksgiving.
-\v 3 Pray together for us also, that God would open a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ. Because of this, I am chained up.
+\v 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, staying alert in it in thanksgiving,
+\v 3 praying together for us also, that God would open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also I have been in chains.
 \v 4 Pray that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.
 
 \s5
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 As for the things concerning me, Tychicus will make them known to you. He is a beloved brother, a faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord.
+\v 7 As for all the things concerning me, Tychicus will make them known to you. He is a beloved brother, a faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord.
 \v 8 I have sent him to you for this, that you might know the matters about us, and so that he may encourage your hearts. \f + \ft There are some important and ancient Greek copies, along with some ancient translations of the Greek that read, \fqa I sent him to you for this, that he might know the matters about you, and that he may encourage your hearts \fqa* . \f*
 \v 9 I have sent him together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that has happened here.
 

53-1TH.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Thessalonians
 \toc1 The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians
-\toc2 First Thessalonians
+\toc2 1 Thessalonians
 \toc3 1Th
 \mt First Thessalonians
 
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@
 \v 5 because our gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. In the same way, you also know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received the word in much tribulation with joy from the Holy Spirit.
+\v 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you received the word in much tribulation with joy from the Holy Spirit.
 \v 7 As a result, you became an example to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 For from you the word of the Lord has rung out, and not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone out everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it.
 \v 9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from the idols to serve the living and true God,
-\v 10 and that you are waiting for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
+\v 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -41,17 +41,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext to cover up greed—God is our witness.
-\v 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, either from you or from others. We could have claimed privileges as apostles of Christ.
+\v 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Instead, we were as gentle among you as a mother comforting her own children. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa Instead, we were like babies among you, as when a mother comforts her own children \fqa* . \f*
+\v 7 We could have claimed privileges as apostles of Christ. \f + \ft Many copies include this sentence in verse 6. \f* Instead, we were as gentle among you as a mother comforting her own children. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa Instead, we were like babies among you, as when a mother comforts her own children \fqa* . \f*
 \v 8 In this way we had affection for you. We were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives. For you had become very dear to us.
 \v 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. Night and day we were working so that we might not be a burden to any of you as we preached to you the gospel of God.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy, righteous, and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe.
 \v 11 In the same way you know how we were with each one of you, as a father with his own children,
-\v 12 exhorting you and comforting you and solemnly charging you to walk in a manner that is worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
+\v 12 exhorting you and comforting you and urging you to walk in a manner that is worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 But we, brothers, were separated from you for a short hour, in person not in heart. We were especially eager, with great desire, to see your faces.
+\v 17 But we, brothers, were separated from you for a short time, in person not in heart. We were especially eager, with great desire, to see your faces.
 \v 18 For we wished to come to you—indeed I, Paul, once and again—but Satan stopped us.
 \v 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of pride in front of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
 \v 20 For you are our glory and joy.
@@ -144,14 +144,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 But since we belong to the day, we must stay sober and put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation for our helmet.
-\v 9 For God did not appoint us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
-\v 10 It is he who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
+\v 9 For God did not appoint us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
+\v 10 who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
 \v 11 Therefore comfort one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 We earnestly appeal to you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and who rule over you in the Lord and who instruct you.
-\v 13 We also ask you to esteem them highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
+\v 12 We earnestly appeal to you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and who rule over you in the Lord and who instruct you,
+\v 13 and to esteem them highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
 \v 14 We exhort you, brothers: Warn those who are lazy, encourage the discouraged, help the weak, and be patient toward all.
 
 \s5
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@
 \v 25 Brothers, pray also for us.
 \p
 \v 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
-\v 27 I solemnly charge you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
+\v 27 I command you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
 \p
 \v 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
 

54-2TH.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Thessalonians
 \toc1 The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians
-\toc2 Second Thessalonians
+\toc2 2 Thessalonians
 \toc3 2Th
 \mt Second Thessalonians
 
@@ -21,25 +21,25 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 For indeed, it is righteous for God to return affliction to those who afflict you,
-\v 7 and relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
-\v 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey to the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
+\v 7 and relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
+\v 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 They will be suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.
+\v 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.
 \v 10 He will do this when he comes on that day to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at by all those who believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Because of this we also pray continually for you, that our God may consider you worthy of your calling and with his power he may fulfill every good pleasure and every work of faith.
+\v 11 Because of this we also pray continually for you, that our God may consider you worthy of your calling and with his power he may fulfill every good purpose and every work of faith.
 \v 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we earnestly appeal to you, brothers,
-\v 2 that you not be easily shaken from your thoughts or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come.
+\v 2 that you not be easily disturbed or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. 
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa and the man of sin is revealed \fqa* . \f*
+\v 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa and the man of sin is revealed \fqa* . \f*
 \v 4 This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. As a result, he sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God.
 
 \s5
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by the revelation of his coming.
 \v 9 The coming of the lawless one will be due to the work of Satan with all power, signs, and false wonders,
-\v 10 and with every kind of evil that deceives those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth and so be saved.
+\v 10 and with every kind of evil that deceives those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 For this reason God is sending them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you avoid every brother who walks irresponsibly and does not live according to the traditions you received from us.
-\v 7 For you yourselves know it is proper for you to imitate us, because we were not disorderly when we were with you.
+\v 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you avoid every brother who is idle and does not live according to the traditions you received from us.
+\v 7 For you yourselves know it is proper for you to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you. 
 \v 8 We did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but we worked night and day in labor and toil, so we might not be a burden to any of you.
 \v 9 We did this not because we have no authority, but we did this in order to be an example to you, so that you may imitate us.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 For when we were with you, we commanded you, "The one who is unwilling to labor must not eat."
-\v 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at labor, but busybodies.
+\v 11 For we hear that some among you are idle, not busy at labor, but busybodies.
 \v 12 Now such ones we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they should labor with quietness and eat their own bread.
 
 \s5

55-1TI.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Timothy
 \toc1 The First Letter of Paul to Timothy
-\toc2 First Timothy
+\toc2 1 Timothy
 \toc3 1Ti
 \mt First Timothy
 
@@ -16,17 +16,17 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 As I urged you to do when I was leaving for Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you can command certain people not to teach a different doctrine.
-\v 4 Neither should they pay attention to stories and endless genealogies. These cause arguments rather than the stewardship of God, which is by faith.
+\v 4 Neither should they pay attention to stories and endless genealogies. These promote arguments rather than the plan of God, which is by faith.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Now the goal of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.
-\v 6 Some people have gone astray from these things and have turned to foolish talk.
+\v 6 Some people have gone astray from these things and have turned to worthless talk.
 \v 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or what they so confidently affirm.
 \v 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 We know this, that law is not set in place for a righteous man, but for lawless and rebellious people, for ungodly people and sinners, and for those who are unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
-\v 10 for sexually immoral people, for those who practice homosexuality, for those who kidnap people for slaves, for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else is opposed to healthy teaching.
+\v 10 for sexually immoral people, for those who practice homosexuality, for those who kidnap people for slaves, for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else is opposed to truthful teaching.
 \v 11 This instruction is according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
 
 \s5
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 \p
 \v 18 I am placing this command before you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that you might fight the good fight,
 \v 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have shipwrecked their faith.
-\v 20 Such are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have committed to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
+\v 20 Such are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered over to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
 \c 3
 \p
 \v 1 This saying is trustworthy: If someone desires to be an overseer, he desires a good work.
-\v 2 Therefore the overseer must be without reproach. He must be a husband of one wife. He must be moderate, sensible, orderly, and hospitable. He must be able to teach.
+\v 2 Therefore the overseer must have a good reputation. He must be a husband of one wife. He must be moderate, sensible, orderly, and hospitable. He must be able to teach.
 \v 3 He must not be addicted to wine, not a brawler, but instead, gentle, peaceful. He must not be a lover of money.
 
 \s5
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
 \c 4
 \p
 \v 1 Now the Spirit clearly says that in later times some people will leave the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons
-\v 2 in lying hypocrisy, their own consciences having been seared.
+\v 2 by the hypocrisy of liars, their own consciences having been seared.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 They will forbid people to marry and require them to abstain from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@
 \v 10 For it is for this that we labor and struggle. For we hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, but especially of believers.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 Solemnly charge and teach these things.
-\v 12 Let no one despise your youth. Instead, for those who believe, be an example in speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.
+\v 11 Instruct the people and teach these things.
+\v 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.
 \v 13 Until I come, attend to the reading, to the exhortation, and to the teaching.
 
 \s5
@@ -155,16 +155,16 @@
 \v 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show honor in their own household. Let them repay their parents, because this is pleasing to God.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 But she who is a real widow, who is left all alone, has set her hope in God and continues in offering earnest appeals and prayers night and day.
-\v 6 However, the woman who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.
+\v 5 But she who is a real widow, who is left all alone, has set her hope in God and continues in offering earnest appeals and prayers night and day,
+\v 6 but the woman who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 Solemnly charge these things as well, so that they may be blameless.
+\v 7 Instruct them in these things as well, so that they may be blameless.
 \v 8 But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Let a woman be enrolled as a widow who is not younger than sixty years old, a wife of one husband.
-\v 10 She have a reputation for doing good deeds, whether it is that she has cared for children, or has been hospitable to strangers, or has washed the feet of God's holy people, or has relieved the afflicted, or has been devoted to every good work.
+\v 10 She must have a reputation for doing good deeds, whether it is that she has cared for children, or has been hospitable to strangers, or has washed the feet of God's holy people, or has relieved the afflicted, or has been devoted to every good work.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 But as for younger widows, refuse to enroll them in the list. For when they give in to bodily desires against Christ, they want to marry.
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@
 \v 13 At the same time, they also learn to be lazy and they go around from house to house. They not only become lazy, but they also talk nonsense and are busybodies, saying things they should not say.
 
 \s5
-\v 14 I therefore want younger women to marry, to bear children, to manage the household, and to give no opportunity for the enemy to reproach us.
+\v 14 I therefore want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage the household, and to give no opportunity for the enemy to slander us.
 \v 15 For some have already turned aside after Satan.
 \v 16 If any believing woman has widows, let her help them, so that the church will not be burdened, so that it might help the real widows.
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and not agree with the healthy words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,
+\v 3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the truthful words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,
 \v 4 he is proud and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments about words that result in envy, strife, insults, evil suspicions,
 \v 5 and constant conflict between people who have morally corrupt minds. They have lost the truth and they think that godliness is a way to get more money. \f + \ft Some old copies add the exhortation, \fqa Stay away from such things. \fqa* But the best ancient copies do not. \f*
 
@@ -221,8 +221,8 @@
 \v 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the everlasting life to which you were called, and about which you gave the good confession before many witnesses.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 I give these orders to you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
-\v 14 to keep the command without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.
+\v 13 I give these orders to you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who testified before Pontius Pilate and made the good confession,
+\v 14 to keep the command without spot or blame until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 God will reveal Christ's appearing at the right time—God, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King who reigns and the Lord who rules.
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 17 Solemnly charge the rich in this world not to be proud and not to hope in riches, which are uncertain. Instead, they should hope in God. He offers to us all the true riches to enjoy.
+\v 17 Instruct the rich in this world not to be proud and not to hope in riches, which are uncertain. Instead, they should hope in God. He offers to us all the true riches to enjoy.
 \v 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and willing to share.
 \v 19 In that way they will store up for themselves a good foundation for what is to come, so that they will take hold of real life.
 

56-2TI.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Timothy
 \toc1 The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy
-\toc2 Second Timothy
+\toc2 2 Timothy
 \toc3 2Ti
 \mt Second Timothy
 
@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@
 \v 7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, Paul, his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.
-\v 9 It is God who saved us and called us with a holy calling. He did this, not according to our works, but according to his own plan and grace. He gave us these things in Christ Jesus before times ever began.
-\v 10 But now God's salvation has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. It is Christ who put an end to death and brought life and incorruptibility to light through the gospel.
+\v 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, Paul, his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
+\v 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling. He did this, not according to our works, but according to his own plan and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before times ever began.
+\v 10 But now God's salvation has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who put an end to death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
 \v 11 Because of this, I was appointed a herald, an apostle, and a teacher. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies add, \fqa to the Gentiles \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \v 12 For this cause I also suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed. I am convinced that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him until that day.
-\v 13 Keep the example of the healthy words that you heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
+\v 13 Keep the example of the truthful words that you heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
 \v 14 The good thing that God committed to you, guard it through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.
 
 \s5
@@ -68,13 +68,13 @@
 \v 12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.
 \q If we deny him, he also will deny us.
 \q
-\v 13 if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful,
+\v 13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful,
 \q for he cannot deny himself."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
-\v 14 Keep reminding them of these things. Solemnly charge them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa Warn them before the Lord \fqa* . \f*
+\v 14 Keep reminding them of these things. Command them before God not to quarrel about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa Warn them before the Lord \fqa* . \f*
 \v 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a laborer who has no reason to be ashamed, who accurately teaches the word of truth.
 
 \s5
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@
 \v 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant questions. You know that they give birth to quarrels.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 The Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead he must be gentle toward all, able to teach, and patient.
-\v 25 He must in meekness teach those who oppose him. God may perhaps give them repentance for the knowledge of the truth.
+\v 24 The Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead he must be gentle toward all, able to teach, and patient,
+\v 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God may give them repentance for the knowledge of the truth.
 \v 26 They may become sober again and leave the devil's trap, after they have been captured by him for his will.
 
 \s5
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
 \v 7 These women are always learning, but they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 In the same way that Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, these false teachers also stand against the truth. They are men corrupt in mind, and with regard to the faith they are disqualified.
+\v 8 In the same way that Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, these false teachers also stand against the truth. They are men corrupt in mind, and with regard to the faith they are rejected.
 \v 9 But they will not advance very far. For their foolishness will be obvious to all, just like that of those men.
 
 \s5
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
 \v 2 Preach the word; be ready when it is convenient and when it is not. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and teaching.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 For the time will come when people will not endure healthy teaching. Instead, they will heap up for themselves teachers according to their own desires, who say what their itching ears want to hear.
+\v 3 For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching. Instead, they will heap up for themselves teachers according to their own desires, who say what their itching ears want to hear.
 \v 4 They will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will turn aside to myths.
 \v 5 But you, be sober-minded in all things. Suffer hardship; do the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
 

57-TIT.usfm

@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@
 \v 7 It is necessary for the overseer, as a manager of the household of God, to be blameless. He must not be arrogant, not be easily angered, not addicted to wine, not a brawler, and not a greedy man.
 
 \s5
-\v 8 Instead, he should be hospitable and a friend of what is good. He must be sensible, righteous, holy, and self-controlled.
-\v 9 He should hold tightly to the trustworthy message that was taught, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy teaching and correct those who oppose him.
+\v 8 Instead, he should be hospitable, loving goodness, sensible, upright, holy, and self-controlled.
+\v 9 He should hold tightly to the trustworthy message that was taught, so that he may be able to encourage others with truthful teaching and correct those who oppose him.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -34,18 +34,18 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 One of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."
-\v 13 This testimony is true. Therefore, correct them severely, so that they may be healthy in the faith,
+\v 13 This testimony is true. Therefore, correct them severely, so that they may be truthful in the faith,
 \v 14 not paying any attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of people who turn away from the truth.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 To those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciences have been defiled.
+\v 15 To those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciences have been corrupted.
 \v 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and worthless for any good work.
 
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 But you, speak what fits with healthy instruction.
-\v 2 Teach older men to be temperate, dignified, sensible, healthy in faith, in love, and in perseverance.
+\v 1 But you, speak what fits with truthful instruction.
+\v 2 Teach older men to be temperate, dignified, sensible, and sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 In the same way, teach older women to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or being slaves to much wine, but to be teachers of what is good,
@@ -55,10 +55,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 6 In the same way, encourage the younger men to use good sense.
 \v 7 In all ways present yourself as an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, dignity,
-\v 8 and a healthy message that is above criticism, so that anyone who opposes you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
+\v 8 and a truthful message that is above criticism, so that anyone who opposes you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything, to please them and not argue with them,
+\v 9 Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, to please them and not argue with them,
 \v 10 to not steal from them, but instead to demonstrate all good faith, so that in every way they may bring credit to the teaching about God our Savior.
 
 \s5
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@
 \c 3
 \p
 \v 1 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready for every good work,
-\v 2 to revile no one, to not be eager to fight, and to be gentle, showing all humility toward everyone.
+\v 2 to insult no one, to not be eager to fight, and to be gentle, showing all humility toward everyone.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 For once we ourselves were thoughtless and disobedient. We were led astray and enslaved by various desires and pleasures. We lived in evil and envy. We were detestable and hated one another.

58-PHM.usfm

@@ -41,12 +41,12 @@
 \v 17 So if you have me as a partner, receive him as me.
 \v 18 If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge that to me.
 \v 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I myself will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your own self!
-\v 20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
+\v 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 Confident about your obedience, I am writing to you. I know that you will do even more than I ask.
-\v 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
+\v 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be returned to you.
 
 \s5
 \p

59-HEB.usfm

@@ -17,47 +17,50 @@
 \v 4 He has become just as superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than their name.
 \v 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
 \q "You are my Son,
-\q today I have become your Father"?
-\q Or to which of the angels did God ever say,
+\q2 today I have become your Father"?
+\b
+\p Or to which of the angels did God ever say,
+\b
 \q "I will be a Father to him,
-\q and he will be a Son to me"?
+\q2 and he will be a Son to me"?
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 6 But again, when God brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "All God's angels must worship him."
+\v 6 But again, when God brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 
+\q "All God's angels must worship him."
 \p
 \v 7 About the angels he says,
 \q "He is the one who makes his angels spirits,
-\q and his servants flames of fire."
+\q2 and his servants flames of fire."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 But to the Son he says,
 \q "Your throne, God, is forever and ever.
-\q The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
+\q2 The scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.
 \q
 \v 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.
-\q Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
-\q with the oil of joy more than your companions."
+\q2 Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
+\q2 with the oil of joy more than your companions."
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 10 "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the earth's foundation.
-\q The heavens are the work of your hands.
+\q2 The heavens are the work of your hands.
 \q
 \v 11 They will perish, but you will continue.
-\q They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.
+\q2 They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.
 \q
 \v 12 You will roll them up like a cloak,
-\q and they will be changed like a piece of clothing.
+\q2 and they will be changed like a piece of clothing.
 \q But you are the same,
-\q and your years do not end."
+\q2 and your years do not end."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 But to which of the angels has God said at any time,
 \q "Sit at my right hand
-\q until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
+\q2 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
 \p
 \v 14 Are not all angels spirits who serve, and who are sent to care for those who will inherit salvation?
 
@@ -74,14 +77,14 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 5 For it was not to the angels that God subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
-\v 6 Instead, someone has somewhere testified, saying,
+\v 6 But someone has somewhere testified, saying,
 \q "What is man, that you are mindful of him?
-\q Or a son of man, that you care for him?
+\q2 Or a son of man, that you care for him?
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 7 You made man a little lower than the angels;
-\q you crowned him with glory and honor. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies add, \fqa and you have put him over the works of your hands \fqa* . \f*
+\q2 you crowned him with glory and honor. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies add, \fqa and you have put him over the works of your hands \fqa* . \f*
 \q
 \v 8 You put everything in subjection under his feet."
 \p For it was to him that God has subjected all things. He did not leave anything not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see everything subjected to him.
@@ -94,7 +97,7 @@
 \v 11 For both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have one source. So he is not ashamed to call them brothers.
 \v 12 He says,
 \q "I will proclaim your name to my brothers,
-\q I will sing about you from inside the assembly."
+\q2 I will sing about you from inside the assembly."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -108,7 +111,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 16 For surely it is not the angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.
-\v 17 So it was necessary for him to become like his brothers in all ways, so that he would be a merciful and faithful high priest in relation to the things of God, and so that he would make propitiation for the people's sins.
+\v 17 So it was necessary for him to become like his brothers in all ways, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in relation to the things of God, and so that he could make atonement for the sins of the people.
 \v 18 Because Jesus himself has suffered and was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
 
 \s5
@@ -128,32 +131,33 @@
 \q "Today, if you hear his voice
 \q
 \v 8 do not harden your hearts
-\q as in the rebellion,
-\q in the time of testing in the wilderness.
+\q2 as in the rebellion,
+\q2 in the time of testing in the wilderness.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 9 This was when your ancestors rebelled by testing me,
-\q and when, during forty years, they saw my deeds.
+\v 9 This was when your ancestors rebelled by testing me, 
+\q2 after they had seen my deeds for forty years. 
 \q
 \v 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation.
-\q I said, 'They have always gone astray in their hearts.
-\q They have not known my ways.'
+\q2 I said, 'They have always gone astray in their hearts.
+\q2 They have not known my ways.'
 \q
 \v 11 It is just as I swore in my wrath:
-\q 'They will never enter my rest.'"
+\q2 'They will never enter my rest.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Be careful, brothers, so that among you there will not be anyone with an evil heart of unbelief, a heart that turns away from the living God.
-\v 13 Instead, encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "today," so that no one among you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
+\v 12 Be careful, brothers, that none of you has an evil heart of unbelief, a heart that turns away from the living God.
+\v 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "today," so that no one among you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 For we have become partners of Christ if we firmly hold to our confidence in him from the beginning to the end.
 \v 15 About this it has been said,
+\b
 \q "Today, if you hear his voice,
-\q do not harden your hearts,
-\q as in the rebellion."
+\q2 do not harden your hearts,
+\q2 as in the rebellion."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -170,8 +174,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as he said,
+\b
 \q "As I swore in my wrath,
-\q They will never enter my rest."
+\q2 They will never enter my rest."
+\b
 \p Even so, his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
 \v 4 For he has somewhere spoken about the seventh day:
 \q "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."
@@ -182,8 +188,9 @@
 \p
 \v 6 Therefore, it remains for some to enter that rest, and those who previously had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience.
 \v 7 So God again appointed a certain day, calling it "Today," when he spoke through David much later in words already quoted:
+\b
 \q "Today if you hear his voice,
-\q do not harden your hearts."
+\q2 do not harden your hearts."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -194,12 +201,12 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
-\v 13 No thing that has been created is hidden before God. Instead, everything is bare and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account.
+\v 13 No thing that has been created is hidden before God, but everything is bare and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us firmly hold to our confession.
-\v 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. Instead, we have someone who has in all ways been tempted as we are, except that he is without sin.
+\v 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. Rather, we have someone who has in all ways been tempted as we are, except that he is without sin.
 \v 16 Let us then go with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
 
 \s5
@@ -210,16 +217,18 @@
 \v 3 Because of this, he also is required to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people's sins.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 It is not for himself that anyone takes this honor. Instead, he is called by God, just as Aaron was.
+\v 4 No one takes this honor for himself. Rather, he is called by God, just as Aaron was.
 \v 5 In the same way, neither did Christ glorify himself by making himself high priest. Instead, the one speaking to him said,
+\b
 \q "You are my Son;
-\q today I have become your Father."
+\q2 today I have become your Father."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 It is just as he also says in another place,
+\b
 \q "You are a priest forever
-\q after the manner of Melchizedek."
+\q2 after the manner of Melchizedek."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -265,7 +274,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, since he could not swear by anyone greater.
-\v 14 He said, "I will certainly bless you and grow your numbers."
+\v 14 He said, "I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants."
 \v 15 In this way, Abraham obtained what was promised after he had patiently waited.
 
 \s5
@@ -282,7 +291,7 @@
 \p
 \v 1 It was this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.
 \v 2 It was to him that Abraham gave a tenth of everything. First, the translation of his name means, "king of righteousness"; then he is also "king of Salem," that is, "king of peace."
-\v 3 He is without father, without mother, without ancestors, with neither beginning of days nor end of life. Instead, he resembles the Son of God, because he remains a priest forever.
+\v 3 He is without father, without mother, without ancestors, with neither beginning of days nor end of life. And resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -306,10 +315,12 @@
 \v 14 Now clearly it is from Judah that our Lord was born, a tribe that Moses never mentioned concerning priests.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 What we say is clearer yet if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek.
-\v 16 It was not based on a law of fleshly requirement that he became a priest, but instead was based on the power of an everlasting life.
+\v 15 What we say is even clearer when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek.
+\v 16 This one became a priest, not based on a law of physical requirement, but by the power of an everlasting life.
 \v 17 For scripture witnesses about him:
-\q "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
+\b
+\q "You are a priest forever 
+\q2 according to the order of Melchizedek."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -318,9 +329,10 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,
-\v 21 but he became a priest through the oath-taking of the one who said to him,
+\v 21 but he became a priest with an oath by the one who said to him,
+\b
 \q "The Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind:
-\q 'You are a priest forever.'"
+\q2 'You are a priest forever.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -353,9 +365,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 8 For when God found fault with the people, he said,
+\b
 \q "See, the days are coming—says the Lord—
-\q when I will make a new covenant
-\q2 with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
+\q2 when I will make a new covenant
+\q with the house of Israel
+\q2 and with the house of Judah.
 \q
 \v 9 It will not be like the covenant
 \q2 that I made with their ancestors
@@ -363,28 +377,26 @@
 \q2 to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
 \q For they did not carefully obey my covenant,
 \q2 and I disregarded them—
-\q says the Lord.
+\q2 says the Lord.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 This is the covenant
-\q2 that I will make with the house of Israel
-\q after those days
-\q2 —says the Lord.
+\v 10 This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
+\q2 after those days says the Lord.
 \q I will put my laws into their minds,
-\q and I will also write them on their hearts.
+\q2 and I will also write them on their hearts.
 \q I will be their God,
-\q and they will be my people.
+\q2 and they will be my people.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 11 They will not teach each one his fellow citizen
-\q and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.'
+\q2 and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.'
 \q For they will all know me,
-\q from the least of them to the greatest.
+\q2 from the least of them to the greatest.
 \q
 \v 12 For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds,
-\q and their sins I will not remember any longer."
+\q2 and their sins I will not remember any longer."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -394,10 +406,10 @@
 \c 9
 \p
 \v 1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.
-\v 2 For a tabernacle was prepared. The first, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the presence, was called the holy place.
+\v 2 For a tabernacle was prepared. The first room, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the presence, was called the holy place.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Behind the second curtain was another tabernacle, called the most holy place.
+\v 3 Behind the second curtain was another room in the tabernacle, called the most holy place.
 \v 4 It had a golden altar for incense. It also had the ark of the covenant, which was completely overlaid with gold. Inside it was a golden jar that held the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
 \v 5 Above the ark of the covenant, glorious cherubim overshadowed the atonement lid, which we cannot now talk about in detail.
 
@@ -418,7 +430,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes on those who have been defiled sanctifies them for the cleansing of their flesh,
 \v 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
-\v 15 For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant. This is so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of those under the first covenant from their transgressions, those who are called will receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.
+\v 15 For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant. This is so that, since a death has taken place to redeem those under the first covenant from their transgressions, those who are called will receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.
 
 \s5
 \v 16 For where there is a will, the death of the person who made it must be proven.
@@ -436,11 +448,11 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in heaven should be cleansed with these animal sacrifices. However, the heavenly things themselves had to be cleansed with much better sacrifices.
-\v 24 For Christ did not enter into the most holy place made with hands, which is only a copy of the true one. Instead he entered into heaven itself, to appear now in God's presence for us.
+\v 24 For Christ did not enter into the most holy place made with hands, which is only a copy of the true one. Rather he entered into heaven itself, to appear now in God's presence for us.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 He did not go there in order to offer himself many times, as does the high priest, who enters the most holy place year by year with the blood of another.
-\v 26 If that had been the case, then he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has become visible at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
+\v 26 If that had been the case, then he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
 
 \s5
 \v 27 Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that comes judgment,
@@ -456,16 +468,15 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 5 When Christ came into the world, he said,
-\q "Sacrifices and offerings
-\q2 you did not desire,
+\b
+\q "Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire,
 \q2 but a body you have prepared for me;
 \q
 \v 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
 \q2 you did not take pleasure.
 \q
-\v 7 Then I said, 'See, here I am—
-\q2 as it is written about me in the scroll—
-\q to do, God, your will.'"
+\v 7 Then I said, 'See, here I am—as it is written about me in the scroll—
+\q2 to do your will, God.'"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -481,6 +492,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us. First he says,
+\b
 \q
 \v 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them
 \q2 after those days, says the Lord.
@@ -488,8 +500,9 @@
 \q2 and I will write them on their minds."
 
 \s5
-\q
-\v 17 Then he adds, "Their sins and lawlessness
+\p
+\v 17 Then he adds, 
+\q "Their sins and lawlessness
 \q2 I will remember no longer."
 \p
 \v 18 Now where there is forgiveness for these, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
@@ -504,7 +517,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 23 Let us also hold firmly to the hope we confess, for he who promised is faithful.
 \v 24 Let us think carefully about how to motivate one another to love and good deeds.
-\v 25 Let us not forsake meeting together, as some have done. Instead, encourage one another more and more, and all the more as you see the day coming closer.
+\v 25 Let us not abandon meeting together, as some have done. Instead, encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day coming closer.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -522,51 +535,57 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 32 But remember the former days, after you were enlightened, how you endured a great struggle in suffering.
-\v 33 You were exposed to public ridicule by reproaches and persecution, and you were sharing with those who went through such suffering.
+\v 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution, and other times you shared with those who were so treated.
 \v 34 For you had compassion on those who were prisoners, and you accepted with joy the seizure of your possessions. You knew that you yourselves had a better and everlasting possession. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa For you had compassion on me in my chains \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \v 35 So do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
 \v 36 For you need perseverance so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
+\b
 \q
 \v 37 "For in a very little while,
-\q the one who is coming will indeed come and not delay.
+\q2 the one who is coming will indeed come and not delay.
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 38 My righteous one will live by faith.
-\q If he shrinks back, my soul will not be pleased with him."
+\q2 If he shrinks back, my soul will not be pleased with him."
 \p
 \v 39 But we are not any of those who turn back to destruction, but we are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.
 
 \s5
 \c 11
 \p
-\v 1 Now faith is being fully assured of the things hoped for and certain of things that are not seen.
+\v 1 Now faith is being sure of the things hoped for and certain of things that are not seen.
 \v 2 For because of this the ancestors were approved for their faith.
 \v 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by God's command, so that what is visible was not made out of things that were visible.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, and God spoke well of him because of his offerings, and by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death. "He was not found, because God took him away." For before he was taken up, it was testified that he had pleased God.
 \v 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him. For it is necessary that anyone coming to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
 
 \s5
-\v 7 It was by faith that Noah, having been given a divine message about things not yet seen, with godly reverence built a ark to save his household. By doing this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.
+\p
+\v 7 It was by faith that Noah, having been given a divine message about things not yet seen, with godly reverence built an ark to save his household. By doing this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 8 It was by faith that Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going.
 \v 9 It was by faith that he lived in the land of promise as a foreigner. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.
 \v 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 By faith—and Sarah herself was barren—he received ability to conceive a descendant beyond the time of maturity, since he considered as faithful the one who had given the promise. \f + \ft There is some question about whether it was Abraham's faith or Sarah's faith that was in view. \fqa By faith Sarah, though she was old, received the power to have a child, even though she was too old to bear a child, since she considered the one who gave the promise to be faithful \fqa* . \f*
+\v 11 It was by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren, that she received ability to conceive. This happened even though she was too old, since she considered as faithful the one who had given the promise.
 \v 12 Therefore, from this one man—and he was almost dead—were born descendants as many as the stars in the sky and as countless as sand by the seashore.
 
 \s5
-\v 13 It was in faith that all these died without receiving the promises. Instead, after seeing and greeting them from far off, they acknowledged that they were foreigners and exiles on earth.
+\p
+\v 13 It was in faith that all these died without receiving the promises. Rather, they saw and greeted them from far off, and they acknowledged that they were foreigners and exiles on earth.
 \v 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
 
 \s5
@@ -574,6 +593,7 @@
 \v 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has prepared a city for them.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 17 It was by faith that Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac. It was his only son whom he offered, he who had received the promises.
 \v 18 It was Abraham to whom it had been said, "It is through Isaac that your descendants will be named."
 \v 19 Abraham reasoned that God was able to raise up Isaac from the dead, and figuratively speaking, it was from them that he received him back.
@@ -584,32 +604,36 @@
 \v 22 It was by faith that Joseph, when his end was near, spoke of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt and instructed them about his bones.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 23 It was by faith that Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child. They were not afraid of the king's command.
 \v 24 It was by faith that Moses, after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
 \v 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while.
-\v 26 He reasoned that the reproach of Christ was greater riches than Egypt's treasures. For he was fixing his eyes on his reward.
+\v 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater value than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.
 
 \s5
 \v 27 It was by faith that Moses left Egypt. He did not fear the king's anger, for he endured as if he were seeing the one who is invisible.
 \v 28 It was by faith that he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch the Israelites' firstborn sons.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 29 It was by faith that they passed through the Sea of Reeds as if over dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were swallowed up.
 \v 30 It was by faith that Jericho's walls fell down, after they had been circled around for seven days.
 \v 31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 32 What more can I say? For the time will fail me if I give a full account of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and about the prophets.
 \v 33 It was through faith that they conquered kingdoms, committed righteousness, and received promises. They stopped the mouths of lions,
 \v 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong when they were weak, became mighty in battle, and defeated foreign armies.
 
 \s5
 \v 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might experience a better resurrection.
-\v 36 Others received the experience of mocking and whippings, and even chains and imprisonment.
+\v 36 Others experienced mocking and whippings, and even chains and imprisonment.
 \v 37 They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute, oppressed, mistreated. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were put to the test. They were killed with the sword \fqa* . \f*
 \v 38 The world was not worthy of them. They were always wandering about in the deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
 
 \s5
+\p
 \v 39 Although all these people were approved by God because of their faith, they did not receive the promise.
 \v 40 God planned something better for us, so that without us, they would not be made perfect.
 
@@ -624,11 +648,12 @@
 \p
 \v 4 You have not yet resisted or struggled against sin to the point of blood;
 \v 5 and you have forgotten the encouragement that instructs you as sons:
+\b
 \q "My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline,
-\q nor grow weary when you are corrected by him.
+\q2 nor grow weary when you are corrected by him.
 \q
 \v 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
-\q and he punishes every son he receives."
+\q2 and he punishes every son he receives."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -648,7 +673,7 @@
 \p
 \v 14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord.
 \v 15 Be careful so that no one lacks God's grace, and that no root of bitterness grows up to cause trouble, so that many do not become defiled by it,
-\v 16 nor anyone who is sexually immoral or profane, such as Esau, who for one meal sold his own birthright.
+\v 16 and that there is no one who is sexually immoral or profane, such as Esau, who for one meal sold his own birthright.
 \v 17 For you know that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he found no opportunity for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.
 
 \s5
@@ -659,9 +684,9 @@
 \v 21 So fearful was this sight that Moses said, "I am terrified and am trembling."
 
 \s5
-\v 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels in joyful assembly.
+\v 22 Rather, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels in joyful assembly.
 \v 23 You have come to the congregation of the firstborn, who have been registered in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous ones who have been made perfect.
-\v 24 You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel's blood.
+\v 24 And you have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel's blood.
 
 \s5
 \v 25 See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is warning from heaven.
@@ -679,15 +704,19 @@
 \v 2 Do not forget hospitality for strangers. For through this, some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Remember prisoners as if you were bound with them. Remember those who are mistreated as if you also were them in the body.
+\v 3 Remember prisoners as if you were bound with them. Remember those who are mistreated since you yourselves also are in the body.
 \v 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept pure, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 Let your conduct be free from the love of money. Be content with the things you have, for God himself has said, "I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you."
+\v 5 Let your conduct be free from the love of money. Be content with the things you have, for God himself has said, 
+\b
+\q "I will never leave you, 
+\q2 nor will I abandon you."
 \p
 \v 6 Let us be content so that we may have courage to say,
+\b
 \q "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
-\q What can a man do to me?"
+\q2 What can a man do to me?"
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -701,8 +730,8 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
-\v 13 Let us therefore go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.
-\v 14 For we do not have any permanent city here. Instead, we are looking for one that is to come.
+\v 13 Let us therefore go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he endured.
+\v 14 For we do not have a permanent city here. Rather, we are looking for the one that is to come.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Through him, then, let us always offer up sacrifices of praise to God, praise that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
@@ -712,7 +741,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience and that we desire to live rightly in all things.
-\v 19 I encourage you even more to do this, so that I will be restored to you sooner.
+\v 19 I encourage you even more to do this, so that I will be returned to you sooner.
 
 \s5
 \p

60-JAS.usfm

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 \v 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Let the brother of low condition boast of his high position,
+\v 9 Let the lowly brother boast of his high position,
 \v 10 but the rich man of his low position, because he will pass away as a wild flower in the grass.
 \v 11 For the sun rises with burning heat and dries up the grass. The flower falls off, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich man will fade away in the middle of his journey.
 
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
 \v 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth.
 
 \s5
-\v 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
+\v 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Rather, it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
 \v 16 For where there are jealousy and ambition, there is confusion and every evil practice.
 \v 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
 \v 18 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace.
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@
 \c 4
 \p
 \v 1 Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members?
-\v 2 You desire, and you do not have. You kill and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.
+\v 2 You desire, and you do not have. You murder and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.
 \v 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order that you may use it for your desires.
 
 \s5
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 4 Look, the wages you kept back from the laborers who mowed your fields is crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
 \v 5 You have lived in luxury on the earth and indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter.
-\v 6 You have condemned and killed the righteous person. He does not oppose you.
+\v 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not oppose you.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -193,13 +193,13 @@
 \v 8 You, too, be patient. Strengthen your hearts because the Lord's coming is near.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 Do not complain, brothers, against one another, so that you will be not condemned. See, the judge is standing at the door.
+\v 9 Do not complain, brothers, against one another, so that you will not be condemned. See, the judge is standing at the door.
 \v 10 Take an example, brothers, from the suffering and patience of the prophets, those who spoke in the name of the Lord.
 \v 11 See, we regard those who endured as blessed. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you know the purpose of the Lord, how he is very compassionate and merciful.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth, or by any other oath. Instead, let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No," so you do not fall under judgment.
+\v 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth, or by any other oath. Rather, let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No," so you do not fall under judgment.
 
 \s5
 \p

61-1PE.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 Peter
 \toc1 The First Letter of Peter
-\toc2 First Peter
+\toc2 1 Peter
 \toc3 1Pe
 \mt First Peter
 
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@
 \v 5 You are protected by God's power through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now, for little while, you may have to suffer all kinds of trials.
+\v 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now, for a little while, you may have to suffer all kinds of trials.
 \v 7 This is for the proving of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire. This happens so that your faith will be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revealing of Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
 \v 9 You are now receiving for yourselves the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
-\v 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to come to you, searched diligently and inquired carefully,
+\v 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to come to you, searched diligently and examined carefully,
 
 \s5
 \v 11 inquiring into what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@
 \s5
 \v 15 But as the one who called you is holy, you, too, be holy in your whole behavior.
 \v 16 For it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy."
-\v 17 So if you call "Father" the one who judges impartially and according to each person's work, conduct the time of your sojourn in fear.
+\v 17 So if you call "Father" the one who judges impartially and according to each person's work, conduct yourselves in fear during your time here as foreigners.
 
 \s5
-\v 18 You know that it was not with perishable silver or gold that you have been redeemed from the futile behavior that you learned from your fathers.
-\v 19 Instead, you have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a lamb without blemish or spot.
+\v 18 You know that it was not with perishable silver or gold that you have been redeemed from the futile behavior that you inherited from your ancestors,
+\v 19 but by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
 
 \s5
 \v 20 Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but now he has been revealed to you in these last times.
@@ -55,11 +55,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 24 For,
+\b
 \q "All flesh is like grass,
-\q and all its glory is like the wild flower of the grass.
+\q2 and all its glory is like the wild flower of the grass.
 \q The grass dries up, and the flower falls off,
-\q
+\q2
 \v 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever."
+\b
 \m This word is the gospel that was preached to you.
 
 \s5
@@ -75,20 +77,26 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 6 Scripture contains this:
+\b
 \q "See, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone,
-\q chosen and valuable.
-\q Whoever believes in him will not be ashamed."
+\q2 chosen and valuable.
+\q Whoever believes in him 
+\q2 will not be ashamed."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 The value, then, is to you who believe.
-\q But to those who do not believe,
+\v 7 The value, then, is to you who believe. But to those who do not believe,
+\b
 \q "The stone that was rejected by the builders,
-\q this has become the head of the corner,"
+\q2 this has become the head of the corner,"
+\b
 \p
 \v 8 and,
+\b
 \q "A stone of stumbling
-\q and a rock that makes them fall."
+\q2 and a rock that makes them fall."
+\b
 \m They stumble because they disobey the word—which is what they were appointed to do.
 
 \s5
@@ -102,7 +110,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 13 Be subject to every human creation for the Lord's sake. Obey both the king as supreme,
+\v 13 Be subject to every human authority for the Lord's sake. Obey both the king as supreme
 \v 14 and also the governors, who are sent for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do good.
 \v 15 For this is God's will, that in doing good you silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
 \v 16 As free people, do not use your freedom as a covering for wickedness, but be like servants of God.
@@ -116,16 +124,17 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 21 For it is to this that you were called, because Christ also suffered for you. He left an example for you to follow in his steps.
-\q1
-\p
+\b
+\q
 \v 22 "He committed no sin,
-\q1 neither was any deceit found in his mouth."
+\q2 neither was any deceit found in his mouth."
+\b
 \m
 \p
-\v 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile back. When he suffered, he did not threaten back, but he committed himself to the one who judges justly.
+\v 23 When he was insulted, he gave no insult in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten back, but he gave himself over to the one who judges justly.
 
 \s5
-\v 24 He himself carried our sins in his body on the tree so that we would stay away from sin and live for righteousness. By his bruises you have been healed.
+\v 24 He himself carried our sins in his body on the tree so that we would die to sin and live for righteousness. By his bruises you have been healed.
 \v 25 All of you had been straying like lost sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
 
 \s5
@@ -135,8 +144,8 @@
 \v 2 having been eyewitnesses of your respectful, pure behavior.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Let it be done not with outward ornaments such as braided hair, jewels of gold, or fashionable clothing.
-\v 4 Instead, let it be done with the inner person of the heart, and the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious before God.
+\v 3 Do not let your adornment be outward—the braiding of hair, and putting on of gold ornaments, or the clothing you wear.
+\v 4 Instead, let your adornment be the inner person of the heart with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious before God.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 For this is how holy women long ago who hoped in God adorned themselves, by submitting to their husbands.
@@ -153,23 +162,27 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 10 "The one who wants to love life and see good days
-\q should stop his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
+\v 10 "The one who wants to love life 
+\q2 and see good days
+\q should stop his tongue from evil 
+\q2 and his lips from speaking deceit.
 \q
 \v 11 Let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good.
-\q Let him seek peace and pursue it.
+\q2 Let him seek peace and pursue it.
 \q
-\v 12 The eyes of the Lord see the righteous, and his ears hear their prayers.
+\v 12 The eyes of the Lord see the righteous, 
+\q2 and his ears hear their prayers.
 \q But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 Who is the one who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?
-\v 14 But if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear. Do not be troubled.
+\v 14 But even if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats. Do not be troubled.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 Instead, set apart the Lord Christ in your hearts as holy. Always be ready to give an account to anyone who asks about the hope you have—
-\v 16 however, with meekness and respect. Have a good conscience so that in whatever you are spoken of as evil the people who revile your good life in Christ may be put to shame.
+\v 16 however, with meekness and respect. Have a good conscience so that in whatever you are spoken of as evil the people who slander your good life in Christ may be put to shame.
 \v 17 It is better, if it should be God's will, that you suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
 
 \s5
@@ -205,19 +218,22 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 12 Beloved, do not regard as strange the testing in the fire that has happened to you, as if something strange were happening to you.
+\v 12 Beloved, do not regard as strange the testing in the fire that has come upon you, as if something strange were happening to you.
 \v 13 Instead, however much you experience the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
-\v 14 If you are reproached for Christ's name, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God is resting on you.
+\v 14 If you are insulted for Christ's name, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
 
 \s5
 \v 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.
-\v 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; instead, let him glorify God with that name.
+\v 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; instead, let him glorify God with that name.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who disobey God's gospel?
-\q
-\v 18 And "If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved,
-\q what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
+\p
+\v 18 And
+\b
+\q "If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved,
+\q2 what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
+\b
 \m
 \p
 \v 19 Therefore let those who suffer because of God's will commit their souls to the faithful Creator in well-doing.
@@ -227,11 +243,15 @@
 \p
 \v 1 I am exhorting the elders among you, I, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and am also one who will share in the glory that will be revealed:
 \v 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God would have you serve—not for shameful profit but eagerly.
-\v 3 Do not act as a lord over those allotted to you. Instead, be an example to the flock.
+\v 3 Do not act as lords over those allotted to you. Instead, be examples to the flock.
 \v 4 Then when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 In the same way, you younger men, submit to the older men. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility and serve one another. For God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
+\v 5 In the same way, you younger men, submit to the older men. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility and serve one another. 
+\b
+\q For God is opposed to the proud, 
+\q2 but he gives grace to the humble.
+\b
 \p
 \v 6 Therefore humble yourselves under God's mighty hand so that he may exalt you in due time.
 \v 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
@@ -241,7 +261,7 @@
 \v 9 Stand against him. Be strong in your faith. You know that your brotherhood in the world is enduring the same sufferings.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 After you suffer for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will perfect you, confirm you, strengthen you, and make you stable.
+\v 10 After you suffer for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will perfect you, confirm you, strengthen you, and establish you.
 \v 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
 
 \s5

62-2PE.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 Peter
 \toc1 The Second Letter of Peter
-\toc2 Second Peter
+\toc2 2 Peter
 \toc3 2Pe
 \mt Second Peter
 
@@ -55,14 +55,14 @@
 \v 3 In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation has been coming for a long time, and their destruction is not asleep.
 
 \s5
-\v 4 For God did not spare the angels who sinned. Instead he committed them to Tartarus to be kept in chains of lower darkness until the judgment. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa to be kept in pits of lower darkness until the judgment \fqa* . \f*
-\v 5 Also, he did not spare the ancient world. Instead, he preserved Noah, who was a herald of righteousness, along with seven others when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly.
-\v 6 God also reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to destruction as an example of what is to happen to the ungodly.
+\v 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but delivered them into hell to be kept in chains of darkness until the judgment, \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa to be kept in pits of darkness until the judgment \fqa* , \f*
+\v 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly.
+\v 6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to destruction as an example of what is to happen to the ungodly,
 
 \s5
-\v 7 And he delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the sensual behavior of lawless people—
-\v 8 that righteous man, who was living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul because of their lawless deeds.
-\v 9 The Lord knows how to rescue godly men out of trials and how to hold unrighteous men in custody so they can be punished on the day of judgment.
+\v 7 but delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the sensual behavior of lawless people—
+\v 8 for that righteous man, who was living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds—
+\v 9 if the Lord did these things, then he knows how to rescue godly men out of trials and how to hold unrighteous men in custody so they can be punished on the day of judgment.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 This is especially true for those who walk after the corrupt desires of the flesh and who despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones.
@@ -70,11 +70,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 12 But these people are like unreasoning animals, born for capture and destruction. They do not know what they insult. In destruction they also will be destroyed,
-\v 13 suffering harm as a reward for doing harm. They think that luxury during the day is a pleasure. They are stains and blemishes. They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you. \f + \ft Instead of \fqa They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you. \fqa* Other modern translations have something like, \fqa They enjoy their actions while they are feasting with you in love feasts \fqa* . \f*
+\v 13 suffering harm as a reward for doing harm. They think that luxury during the day is a pleasure. They are stains and blemishes. They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you. \f + \ft Some ancient copies of the Greek text read, \fqa They enjoy their actions while they are feasting with you in love feasts \fqa* . \f*
 \v 14 They have eyes full of adultery; they are never satisfied with sin. They entice unstable souls into wrongdoing, and they have their hearts trained in greed. They are cursed children!
 
 \s5
-\v 15 They have forsaken the straight way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to receive payment for unrighteousness. \f + \ft Many modern translations read \fqa Balaam son of Beor \fqa* in order to be consistent with the Old Testament spelling of the name. Some modern translations choose to follow the spelling of the Greek text, which reads, \fqa Balaam, son of Bosor \fqa* . \f*
+\v 15 They have abandoned the straight way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to receive payment for unrighteousness. \f + \ft Many modern translations read \fqa Balaam son of Beor \fqa* in order to be consistent with the Old Testament spelling of the name. Some modern translations choose to follow the spelling of the Greek text, which reads, \fqa Balaam, son of Bosor \fqa* . \f*
 \v 16 But he obtained a rebuke for his own transgression—a mute donkey speaking in a human voice stopped the prophet's insanity.
 
 \s5
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 8 It should not escape your notice, beloved, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.
-\v 9 The Lord does not move slowly concerning his promises, as some consider slowness to be. Instead, he is patient toward you. He does not desire for any of you to perish, but for everyone to make room for repentance.
+\v 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some consider slowness to be. Rather, he is patient toward you. He does not desire for any of you to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.
 
 \s5
 \v 10 However, the day of the Lord will come as a thief: The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be laid bare. \f + \ft It is uncertain which Greek word is intended for the last word of verse 10, either \fqa laid bare \fqa* or \fqa burned up \fqa* are the choices. There is uncertainty about which word should be chosen. The second choice would be, \fqa The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be burned up \fqa* . \f*
@@ -123,5 +123,5 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Therefore, beloved, since you know about these things beforehand, guard yourselves so that you are not led astray by the deceit of lawless people and you lose your own faithfulness.
-\v 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the glory be to him both now and until the day of eternity. Amen!
+\v 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the glory be to him both now and to the day of eternity. Amen!
 

63-1JN.usfm

@@ -2,15 +2,15 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 1 John
 \toc1 The First Letter of John
-\toc2 First John
+\toc2 1 John
 \toc3 1Jn
 \mt First John
 
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 That which was from the beginning—which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—concerning the Word of life.
-\v 2 Also, the life was made known, and we have seen it and testify to it. We are proclaiming to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and which has been made known to us.
+\v 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of life—
+\v 2 the life was made known, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and which has been made known to us.
 
 \s5
 \v 3 That which we have seen and heard we declare also to you, so you also will have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 \c 2
 \p
 \v 1 Children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the one who is righteous.
-\v 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
+\v 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
 \v 3 We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
 
 \s5
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 Because of this the love of God was revealed among us, that God has sent his only Son into the world so that we would live because of him.
-\v 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
+\v 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and that he sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also should love one another.

64-2JN.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 2 John
 \toc1 The Second Letter of John
-\toc2 Second John
+\toc2 2 John
 \toc3 2Jn
 \mt Second John
 

65-3JN.usfm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 \ide UTF-8
 \h 3 John
 \toc1 The Third Letter of John
-\toc2 Third John
+\toc2 3 John
 \toc3 3Jn
 \mt Third John
 

66-JUD.usfm

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I had to write to you to exhort you to struggle earnestly for the faith that was entrusted once for all to God's holy people.
-\v 4 For certain men have slipped in secretly among you. These are men who were marked out for condemnation. They are ungodly men who have changed the grace of our God into sensuality, and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
+\v 4 For certain men have slipped in secretly among you. These men were marked out for condemnation. They are ungodly men who have changed the grace of our God into sensuality, and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -25,11 +25,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 7 So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them gave themselves over to sexual immorality and perverse sexual acts. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
-\v 8 Yet in the same way, these dreamers also defile their bodies. They reject authority, and they revile the glorious ones.
+\v 8 Yet in the same way, these dreamers also defile their bodies. They reject authority and they slander the glorious ones.
 
 \s5
-\v 9 But even Michael the archangel, when he was arguing with the devil and disputing with him about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him. Instead he said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"
-\v 10 But these people revile whatever they do not understand; and what they do understand naturally, like unreasoning animals, these are the very things that destroy them.
+\v 9 But even Michael the archangel, when he was arguing with the devil and disputing with him about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment against him, but he said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"
+\v 10 But these people insult whatever they do not understand; and what they do understand naturally, like unreasoning animals, these are the very things that destroy them.
 \v 11 Woe to them! For they have walked in the way of Cain and have plunged into Balaam's error for profit. They have perished in Korah's rebellion.
 
 \s5
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 \s5
 \v 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them, saying, "Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones.
 \v 15 He is coming to execute judgment on everyone. He is coming to convict all the ungodly of all the works they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the bitter words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
-\v 16 These are grumblers, complainers, following their evil desires. Their mouths speak loud boasts, and for their own profit, they flatter others.
+\v 16 These are grumblers, complainers, following their evil desires. Their mouths speak loud boasts, flattering others for profit.
 
 \s5
 \p

67-REV.usfm

@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.
-\v 2 John testified about the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all the things that he saw.
+\v 1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
+\v 2 who testified about the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all the things that he saw.
 \v 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud this prophecy and those who listen to the words of this prophecy and who obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
 
 \s5
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
 \q2 every eye will see him,
 \q including those who pierced him.
 \q2 All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
-\m Yes, Amen.
+\q2 Yes, Amen.
+\m
 \p
 \v 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord God \fqa* . \f*
 
@@ -109,10 +110,10 @@
 \s5
 \v 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, to everyone who does not hold this teaching and does not know what some call the deep things of Satan—to you I say, 'I do not put any other burden on you.'
 \v 25 In any case, you must hold on tightly until I come.
-\m
 
 \s5
-\v 26 The one who conquers and keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.
+\m
+\v 26 The one who conquers and does my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.
 \m
 \q
 \v 27 'He will rule them with an iron rod,
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@
 \q 'The words of the one who is holy and true—
 \q2 he holds the key of David,
 \q2 he opens and no one shuts,
-\q3 he shuts and no one can open.
+\q2 he shuts and no one can open.
 \p
 \v 8 "'I know your deeds. Look, I have put before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name.
 
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@
 \v 18 Listen to my advice: Buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and brilliant white garments so you may clothe yourself and not show the shame of your nakedness, and salve to anoint your eyes so you will see.
 
 \s5
-\v 19 I rebuke and punish everyone whom I love. Therefore, be earnest and repent.
+\v 19 I rebuke and discipline everyone whom I love. Therefore, be earnest and repent.
 \v 20 Look, I am standing at the door and am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his home and will eat with him, and he with me.
 
 \s5
@@ -191,14 +192,17 @@
 \s5
 \v 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
 \v 8 The four living creatures each had six wings, full of eyes on top and underneath. Night and day they do not stop saying,
+\b
 \q "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
-\q who was, and who is, and who is to come."
-\m
+\q2 who was, and who is, and who is to come."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever,
 \v 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne, saying,
+\b
 \q
 \v 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and our God,
 \q2 to receive glory and honor and power,
@@ -225,25 +229,36 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 They sang a new song:
+\b
 \q "You are worthy to take the scroll
 \q2 and to open its seals.
-\q For you were slaughtered, and with your blood you purchased people for God
+\q For you were slaughtered, 
+\q2 and with your blood you purchased people for God
 \q2 from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
 \q
 \v 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
 \q2 and they will reign on the earth."
-\m
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 11 Then I looked and heard the sound of many angels who encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. Their total number was ten thousands of ten thousands and thousands of thousands.
 \v 12 They said in a loud voice,
-\pi "Worthy is the Lamb, who has been slaughtered, to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise."
+\b
+\q "Worthy is the Lamb, who has been slaughtered, 
+\q2 to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, 
+\q2 honor, glory, and praise."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 13 I heard every created thing that was in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea—everything in them—saying,
-\pi "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and dominion forever and ever."
+\b
+\q "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 
+\q2 be praise, honor, glory, and dominion 
+\q2 forever and ever."
+\b
 \p
 \v 14 The four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. \f + \ft Some important and ancient Greek copies read, \fqa the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever \fqa* . \f*
 
@@ -317,34 +332,47 @@
 \p
 \v 9 After these things I looked, and there was a huge multitude that no one could count—from every nation, tribe, people, and language—standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands,
 \v 10 and they were crying out with a loud voice:
-\pi "Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
-\m
+\b
+\q "Salvation belongs to our God, 
+\q2 who is seated on the throne, 
+\q2 and to the Lamb!"
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne. They worshiped God,
 \v 12 saying,
-\pi "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen!"
-\m
+\b
+\q "Amen! 
+\q Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength 
+\q2 be to our God forever and ever!
+\q Amen!"
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "Who are these, clothed with white robes, and where did they come from?"
 \v 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know," and he said to me, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God,
+\v 15 For this reason, 
+\b they are before the throne of God,
 \q2 and they worship him day and night in his temple.
-\q2 The one who is seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.
+\q The one who is seated on the throne 
+\q2 will spread his tent over them.
 \q
-\v 16 They will not be hungry again, nor will they be thirsty again.
-\q2 The sun will not beat down on them,
+\v 16 They will not be hungry again, 
+\q2 nor will they be thirsty again.
+\q The sun will not beat down on them,
 \q2 nor any burning heat.
 \q
-\v 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them,
-\q2 and he will guide them to springs of living water,
-\q and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
+\v 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne 
+\q2 will shepherd them,
+\q and he will guide them to springs of living water,
+\q2 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
 
 \s5
 \c 8
@@ -480,26 +508,33 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 15 Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices spoke in heaven and said,
-\q "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
-\q and he will reign forever and ever."
-\m
+\b
+\q "The kingdom of the world has become 
+\q2 the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
+\q2 and he will reign forever and ever."
+\b
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 16 Then the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones in the presence of God, fell upon their faces and worshiped God.
 \v 17 They said,
-\q "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was,
-\q because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. \f + \ft The best copies of the ancient Greek text have the phrase \fqa who was, and who is, \fqa* but some later copies of the Greek add the phrase: \fqa and who is to come \fqa* . \f*
+\b
+\q "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, 
+\q2 the one who is and who was,
+\q because you have taken your great power 
+\q2 and have begun to reign. \f + \ft The best copies of the ancient Greek text have the phrase \fqa who was, and who is, \fqa* but some later copies of the Greek add the phrase: \fqa and who is to come \fqa* . \f*
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 18 The nations were enraged,
 \q2 but your wrath has come.
-\q2 The time has come for the dead to be judged
-\q and for you to reward your servants the prophets
-\q2 and God's holy people, and those who feared your name,
+\q The time has come for the dead to be judged
+\q2 and for you to reward your servants the prophets
+\q and God's holy people, and those who feared your name,
 \q2 both the unimportant and the mighty.
-\q The time has come for you to destroy those who are destroying the earth."
+\q The time has come 
+\q2 for you to destroy those who are destroying the earth."
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -527,6 +562,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven:
+\b
 \q "Now have come the salvation and the power
 \q2 and the kingdom of our God,
 \q2 and the authority of his Christ.
@@ -535,8 +571,11 @@
 
 \s5
 \q
-\v 11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,
-\q for they did not love their lives even to death.
+\v 11 They conquered him 
+\q2 by the blood of the Lamb 
+\q2 and by the word of their testimony,
+\q for they did not love their lives 
+\q2 even to death.
 \q
 \v 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
 \q2 and all who reside in them!
@@ -576,11 +615,13 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
+\b
 \q
 \v 10 If anyone is to be taken into captivity,
 \q2 into captivity he will go.
 \q If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
 \q2 with the sword he will be killed.
+\b
 \m Here is a call for the patient endurance and faith of God's holy people.
 
 \s5
@@ -660,6 +701,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 3 They were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
+\b
 \q "Great and marvelous are your deeds,
 \q2 Lord God, the Almighty.
 \q Just and true are your ways,
@@ -668,13 +710,13 @@
 \v 4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
 \q2 and glorify your name?
 \q For you alone are holy.
-\q2 All nations will come
+\q All nations will come
 \q2 and worship before you
-\q because your righteous deeds have been revealed."
+\q2 because your righteous deeds have been revealed."
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 After these things I looked, and the temple having the tabernacle of witness was open in heaven.
+\v 5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of witness was open in heaven.
 \v 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels holding the seven plagues. They were clothed with pure, bright linen and had golden sashes around their chests.
 
 \s5
@@ -698,17 +740,21 @@
 \p
 \v 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
 \v 5 I heard the angel of the waters say,
+\b
 \q "You are righteous—the one who is and who was, the Holy One—
 \q2 because you have judged these things.
 \q
 \v 6 Because they poured out the blood of God's holy people and prophets,
 \q2 you have given them blood to drink;
-\q it is what they deserve."
+\q2 it is what they deserve."
+\b
 \m
 \p
 \v 7 I heard the altar reply,
+\b
 \q "Yes, Lord God Almighty,
 \q2 your judgments are true and righteous."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -750,12 +796,12 @@
 \s5
 \v 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names. The beast had seven heads and ten horns.
 \v 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She was holding in her hand a golden cup full of detestable things and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
-\v 5 On her forehead was written a name having a hidden meaning: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."
+\v 5 On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
-\v 7 But the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the hidden meaning of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns.
+\v 7 But the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns.
 
 \s5
 \v 8 The beast you saw existed, does not exist now, and is about to come up from the bottomless pit. Then he will go on to destruction. Those who live on the earth, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life since the foundation of the world—they will be astounded when they see the beast, because he once was, and now is not, and yet will come.
@@ -787,20 +833,24 @@
 \p
 \v 1 After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illumined by his glory.
 \v 2 He cried out with a mighty voice, saying,
+\b
 \q "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
 \q2 She has become a dwelling place for demons,
 \q a prison for every unclean spirit,
 \q2 a prison for every unclean bird,
 \q2 a prison for every unclean and detestable animal.
 \q
-\v 3 For all the nations have drunk the wine of her immoral passion.
-\q2 The kings of the earth have committed immorality with her.
-\q The merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her sensual way of living."
+\v 3 For all the nations have drunk 
+\q2 the wine of her immoral passion.
+\q The kings of the earth have committed immorality with her.
+\q2 The merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her sensual way of living."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \q
 \v 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say,
-\q2 "Come out from her, my people,
+\b
+\q "Come out from her, my people,
 \q3 so that you will not share in her sins,
 \q2 and so that you will not receive any of her plagues.
 \q
@@ -824,6 +874,7 @@
 \q2 death, mourning, and famine.
 \q She will be consumed by fire,
 \q2 for the Lord God is mighty, and he is her judge."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \m
@@ -832,13 +883,13 @@
 \q "Woe, woe to the great city,
 \q2 Babylon, the powerful city!
 \q For in a single hour your punishment has come."
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \p
 \v 11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their merchandise anymore—
 \v 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stone, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, bronze, iron, marble,
-\v 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and bodies, and human souls.
+\v 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and bodies and souls of people.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 The fruit that you desired with all your might is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be found again.
@@ -847,19 +898,20 @@
 \v 15 The merchants of these goods who became rich by her will stand away from her at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning loudly.
 \m
 \v 16 They will say,
+\b
 \q "Woe, woe to the great city
-\q2 that was dressed in fine linen,
-\q3 in purple, and in scarlet,
-\q2 and was adorned with gold,
-\q3 precious jewels, and pearls!
-\q2
+\q2 that was dressed in fine linen, in purple, and in scarlet,
+\q2 and was adorned with gold, precious jewels, and pearls!
+\q
 \v 17 In a single hour all that wealth has been laid waste."
+\b
 \m Every ship's captain, every seafaring man, sailors, and all who make their living from the sea stood off at a distance.
-\m
 
 \s5
+\m
 \v 18 They cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. They said, "What city is like the great city?"
 \v 19 They threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning,
+\b
 \q "Woe, woe to the great city
 \q2 where all who had their ships
 \q2 at sea became rich from her wealth.
@@ -868,16 +920,18 @@
 \v 20 "Rejoice over her, heaven,
 \q2 you holy people and apostles and prophets,
 \q for God has brought your judgment on her!"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
+\b
 \q "In this way, Babylon, the great city,
 \q2 will be thrown down with violence
 \q2 and will not be seen anymore.
 \q
 \v 22 The sound made by harpists, musicians,
-\q3 flute players, and trumpeters
+\q2 flute players, and trumpeters
 \q2 will not be heard anymore in you.
 \q No craftsman of any kind
 \q2 will be found in you.
@@ -900,7 +954,8 @@
 \c 19
 \p
 \v 1 After these things I heard what sounded like a loud voice of a large number of people in heaven calling out,
-\q "Praise Yahweh.
+\b
+\q "Hallelujah!
 \q Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
 \q2
 \v 2 His judgments are true and just,
@@ -908,34 +963,41 @@
 \q2 who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality.
 \q He has avenged the blood of his servants
 \q2 from her hand."
-\m
+\b
 
 \s5
 \m
 \p
 \v 3 They spoke a second time:
-\q "Praise Yahweh!
+\b
+\q "Hallelujah!
 \q The smoke rises from her forever and ever."
+\b
 \m
 \p
 \v 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. They were saying,
-\q "Amen. Praise Yahweh!"
+\b
+\q "Amen. Hallelujah!"
+\b
 
 \s5
 \m
 \p
 \v 5 Then a voice came out from the throne, saying,
+\b
 \q "Praise our God,
 \q2 all you his servants,
 \q you who fear him,
 \q2 both the unimportant and the powerful."
+\b
 
 \s5
 \m
 \p
 \v 6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a great number of people, like the roar of many waters, and like mighty crashes of thunder, saying,
-\q "Praise Yahweh!
-\q For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty.
+\b
+\q "Hallelujah!
+\q2 For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty.
 
 \s5
 \q
@@ -946,7 +1008,8 @@
 \q
 \v 8 She was permitted to be dressed
 \q2 in bright and clean fine linen"
-\q (for fine linen is the righteous acts of God's holy people).
+\b
+\m(for fine linen is the righteous acts of God's holy people).
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -1117,5 +1180,5 @@
 \p
 \v 20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Yes! I am coming soon." Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
 \p
-\v 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. \f + ft Some ancient copies of the Greek text or ancient translations of the Greek text add the phrase: \fqa be with you holy people \fqa* or \fqa be with all you holy people \fqa* or \fqa be with all of his holy people \fqa* . \f*
+\v 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. \f + \ft Some ancient copies of the Greek text or ancient translations of the Greek text add the phrase: \fqa be with you holy people \fqa* or \fqa be with all you holy people \fqa* or \fqa be with all of his holy people \fqa* . \f*
 

README.md

@@ -10,4 +10,7 @@ To view the repository of the Unlocked *Dynamic* Bible, go to [WycliffeAssociate
 If you are a contributor to this ULB project, please add your name to the contributor
 field in the [manifest.yaml](https://git.door43.org/WycliffeAssociates/en_ulb/src/branch/master/manifest.yaml) file.
 If you will be editing this ULB, please see [Introduction to the ULB] (https://git.door43.org/WycliffeAssociates/en_ulb/src/branch/master/00-About_the_ULB/ULB-1-Intro.md) and [Decisions Concerning the ULB] (https://git.door43.org/WycliffeAssociates/en_ulb/src/branch/master/00-About_the_ULB/ULB-2-Decisions.md).
+## Branches
+We do not make changes in the master branch. If we were to do that, the version accessible through BIEL would be updated each time a change is made, while the version in the translation apps would not. This causes confusion when people find that the versions they are looking at are different. So instead, we make our changes in a temporary branch.  When it is decided to merge the temporary branch into the master branch, IT will also update the version in all the apps. 
 
+In January 2023, we started a new branch called June23. We expect to merge it in June 2023 at the end of the winter volunteer season. At that time we will need to start a new branch--perhaps called December2023.

manifest.yaml

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 dublin_core:
   conformsto: 'rc0.2'
   contributor:
+    - 'Aaron C. Fenlason, B. A. in Religion; M. A. in Biblical Languages; Th.M. in Pedagogy; Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, Old Testament'
     - 'Adam W. Nagelvoort, M.Div. Academic Ministries, Columbia International University'
     - 'Alrick G. Headley, M.Div.; Th.M.'
     - 'Bram van den Heuvel, M.A.'

media.yaml

@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_01-GEN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/gen/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_gen_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'exo'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -25,6 +30,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_02-EXO_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/exo/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_exo_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'lev'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -34,6 +44,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_03-LEV_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/lev/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_lev_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'num'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -43,6 +58,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_04-NUM_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/num/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_num_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'deu'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -52,6 +72,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_05-DEU_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/deu/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_deu_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jos'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -61,6 +86,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_06-JOS_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jos/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jos_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jdg'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -70,6 +100,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_07-JDG_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jdg/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jdg_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'rut'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -79,6 +114,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_08-RUT_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/rut/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_rut_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1sa'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -88,6 +128,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_09-1SA_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1sa/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1sa_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2sa'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -97,6 +142,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_10-2SA_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2sa/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2sa_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1ki'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -106,6 +156,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_11-1KI_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1ki/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1ki_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2ki'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -115,6 +170,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_12-2KI_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2ki/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2ki_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1ch'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -124,6 +184,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_13-1CH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1ch/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1ch_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2ch'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -133,6 +198,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_14-2CH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2ch/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2ch_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'ezr'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -142,6 +212,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_15-EZR_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/ezr/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_ezr_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'neh'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -151,6 +226,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_16-NEH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/neh/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_neh_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'est'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -160,6 +240,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_17-EST_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/est/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_est_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'job'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -169,6 +254,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_18-JOB_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/job/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_job_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'psa'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -178,6 +268,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_19-PSA_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/psa/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_psa_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'pro'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -187,6 +282,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_20-PRO_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/pro/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_pro_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'ecc'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -196,6 +296,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_21-ECC_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/ecc/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_ecc_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'sng'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -205,6 +310,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_22-SNG_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/sng/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_sng_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'isa'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -214,6 +324,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_23-ISA_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/isa/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_isa_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jer'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -223,6 +338,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_24-JER_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jer/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jer_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'lam'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -232,6 +352,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_25-LAM_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/lam/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_lam_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'ezk'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -241,6 +366,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_26-EZK_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/ezk/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_ezk_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'dan'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -250,6 +380,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_27-DAN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/dan/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_dan_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'hos'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -259,6 +394,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_28-HOS_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/hos/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_hos_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jol'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -268,6 +408,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_29-JOL_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jol/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jol_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'amo'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -277,6 +422,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_30-AMO_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/amo/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_amo_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'oba'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -286,6 +436,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_31-OBA_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/oba/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_oba_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jon'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -295,6 +450,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_32-JON_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jon/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jon_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'mic'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -304,6 +464,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_33-MIC_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/mic/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_mic_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'nam'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -313,6 +478,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_34-NAM_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/nam/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_nam_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'hab'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -322,6 +492,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_35-HAB_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/hab/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_hab_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'zep'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -331,6 +506,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_36-ZEP_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/zep/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_zep_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'hag'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -340,6 +520,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_37-HAG_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/hag/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_hag_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'zec'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -349,6 +534,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_38-ZEC_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/zec/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_zec_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'mal'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -358,6 +548,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_39-MAL_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/mal/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_mal_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'mat'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -367,6 +562,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_41-MAT_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/mat/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_mat_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'mrk'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -376,6 +576,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_42-MRK_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/mrk/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_mrk_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'luk'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -385,6 +590,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_43-LUK_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/luk/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_luk_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jhn'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -394,6 +604,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_44-JHN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jhn/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jhn_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'act'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -403,6 +618,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_45-ACT_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/act/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_act_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'rom'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -412,6 +632,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_46-ROM_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/rom/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_rom_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1co'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -421,6 +646,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_47-1CO_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1co/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1co_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2co'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -430,6 +660,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_48-2CO_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2co/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2co_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'gal'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -439,6 +674,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_49-GAL_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/gal/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_gal_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'eph'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -448,6 +688,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_50-EPH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/eph/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_eph_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'php'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -457,6 +702,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_51-PHP_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/php/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_php_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'col'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -466,6 +716,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_52-COL_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/col/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_col_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1th'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -475,6 +730,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_53-1TH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1th/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1th_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2th'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -484,6 +744,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_54-2TH_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2th/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2th_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1ti'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -493,6 +758,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_55-1TI_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1ti/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1ti_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2ti'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -502,6 +772,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_56-2TI_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2ti/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2ti_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'tit'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -511,6 +786,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_57-TIT_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/tit/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_tit_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'phm'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -520,6 +800,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_58-PHM_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/phm/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_phm_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'heb'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -529,6 +814,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_59-HEB_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/heb/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_heb_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jas'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -538,6 +828,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_60-JAS_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jas/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jas_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1pe'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -547,6 +842,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_61-1PE_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1pe/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1pe_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2pe'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -556,6 +856,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_62-2PE_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2pe/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2pe_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '1jn'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -565,6 +870,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_63-1JN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/1jn/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_1jn_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '2jn'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -574,6 +884,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_64-2JN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/2jn/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_2jn_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: '3jn'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -583,6 +898,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_65-3JN_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/3jn/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_3jn_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'jud'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -592,6 +912,11 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_66-JUD_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/jud/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_jud_c{chapter}.wav'
   -
     identifier: 'rev'
     version: '{latest}'
@@ -601,3 +926,8 @@ projects:
        version: '{latest}'
        contributor: []
        url: 'https://cdn.door43.org/en/ulb/v{latest}/pdf/en_ulb_67-REV_v{latest}.pdf'
+      -
+       identifier: 'wav'
+       version: '{latest}'
+       contributor: []
+       chapter_url: 'https://audio-content.bibleineverylanguage.org/content/en/ulb/rev/{chapter}/CONTENTS/wav/chapter/en_ulb_rev_c{chapter}.wav'